The carriers stated at a conference which was held by the Ministry of Transport on implementing missions in the last six months this year on July 10.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has lost all its take-off and landing slots in London in the UK since the Covid-19 outbreak.

The airline proposed a slot allocation at China’s airports but it has not yet received a nod. In India, all carriers have been provided 28 slots at the main airports.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang asked airlines to coordinate with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and relevant units to check the available landing and take-off slots. The Ministry will establish a working group to directly negotiate and discuss airport slots allocation with other countries.

According to Vietnamese airlines, in the first 6 months of 2023, the domestic aviation market increased by 8 percent, but the number of international arrivals only reached 60 percent compared to the figure before the epidemic in 2019. Particularly, Chinese tourists to Vietnam gained 9 percent compared to the target before the pandemic.

It is forecasted that in the last six months of 2023, the aviation industry will still face many challenges due to the economic recession, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and rising fuel prices.

Vietnam Airlines also suggested the Ministry of Transport has a solution to control the number of takeoffs and landings to prevent the situation that aircraft must wait for 30 minutes to land at Tan Son Nhat Airport, leading to an increase in costs.

Source: SGGP