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A Vietnam Airlines aircraft gains altitude. The Covid-19 outbreak has significantly affected national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines - PHOTO: VIETNAM AIRLINES

At a meeting on February 28 of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises on the impact of the deadly virus on local production and business activities, Thanh said this was an unprecedented situation for the aviation sector and is getting worse, Dan Tri news site reported.

Flights to China have been suspended. Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan, where the virus is raging, are Vietnam Airlines’ most important markets in northeast Asia.

The airline has also faced multiple difficulties in operating flights to Europe.

On February 24, the air carrier repatriated most of its staff in South Korea. The number of employees working at its representative office in this country has been kept to a minimum.

Vietnam Airlines has reduced the frequency of its daily flights to Seoul and Busan from six to four and used Airbus 321 aircraft instead of Boeing 787s and Airbus 350s.

Thanh pointed out that the epidemic has pulled back the growth of the local aviation sector by three to four years.

The airline had worked with a European partner to lease 10 aircraft, but the partner last week canceled the deal as the number of air passengers in Europe has also fallen due to the outbreak in Europe, Thanh noted.

The air carrier has asked its foreign pilots to take time off without pay for two weeks.

Besides senior executives who have been subject to a 40% salary reduction, other leaders of the airline will see their salaries drop by 20%-30%. In addition, the carrier has plans to let their staff take time off on rotation to reduce its operating costs.

 

CAAV proposes removing limit on Bamboo Airways’ fleet

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed removing the size limit on Bamboo Airways’ fleet as the restriction is not included in any prevailing aviation regulations.

In a recent letter sent to the Ministry of Transport, CAAV urged the ministry to send the proposal to the prime minister, the local media reported.

Under prevailing aviation regulations, including the Civil Aviation Law and the Government’s Decrees 92 and 89, airlines are not restricted from developing their fleets. Fleets can be developed based on business strategies and market demand, provided that the airlines meet certain requirements.

Bamboo Airways can expand its fleet to more than 30 aircraft, and the specific number will be considered on the basis of safety, security and infrastructure.

Other air carriers, such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific, are permitted to operate with an unrestricted number of aircraft.

Bamboo Airways set a target to hold 30% of the local aviation market and expand its flight network to 85 routes this year, including 60 domestic routes and 25 international ones.

To meet the target, the airline will increase its fleet to 30 planes this quarter and 50 at the end of this year.

As of February, Vietnam had 235 planes, up three over January and 48 over the same period last year.

Of the total, Vietnam Airlines owned 106 aircraft; Vietjet Air, 75; Bamboo Airways, 22; and Jetstar Pacific, 18. SGT

 

Vietnam Airlines offers discounted tickets on several int'l routes

Vietnam Airlines offers discounted tickets on several int'l routes

Vietnam Airlines is offering passengers tickets priced from zero dollars on routes between HCM City and Kuala Lumpur/Singapore (equivalent to $66 and $88, respectively, with taxes and fees included) until the end of next month.

Vietnam Airlines restores some inflight services thanks to COVID-19 fight

Vietnam Airlines restores some inflight services thanks to COVID-19 fight

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has restored some services on domestic and international flights with durations of less than 2.5 hours since February 24, as there have been signs showing COVID-19 has been put under control in Vietnam.