A ceremony took place in Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi on December 27 to welcome the 94 millionth passenger aboard the 800,000th flight operated by the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) this year.

At the ceremony

The lucky passenger is Nguyen Van Huynh who took a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. 

The event also welcomed Nguyen Thanh Son, the 1,500,000th Golden Lotus member of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. 

Speaking at the event, General Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang said achievements of the airline sector contribute to welcoming 13 million foreign passengers to Vietnam. 

A representative from the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) said ACV has adopted synchronous measures to improve the capacity of operating and upgrading airports using modern technology, ensure absolute safety for flights in any case. Further attention will also be paid to human resources training and services quality to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development. 

This year, ACV served more than 94 million passengers, up 16 percent from 2016, and handled 1,338,565 tonnes of cargoes, marking a 19 percent increase. 

Meanwhile, VATM safely operated over 800,000 flights, up 10 percent year-on-year, upgraded infrastructure and used advanced technologies to increase flights and cut costs, and trained a contingent of high-quality staff to meet development demand. 

Launched in December 1999, the Golden Lotus programme has attracted numerous passengers with special incentives such as mileage accumulation, business-class lounge and priority check-ins. It also debuted online booking in 2009, account management application in 2013, and hotline 1900 1800 round the clock in 2017. 

Over 80 units from different sectors such as aviation, telecommunications, finance-banking, tourism, and hotel are now partners of the Golden Lotus programme. After Vietnam Airlines joined SkyTeam in 2010, Golden Lotus members could accumulate mileages and exchange for rewards from over 20 member airlines globally.-VNA