Vietnam Airlines to resume international flight from July 1

According to flight information at local agents, ticket offices Zing News contacted, the airline will resume international flights from July 1, connecting Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with several destinations in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Singapore, Laos, and Cambodia.

The airlines will be the first carrier announcing its plan to reconnect its international air routes after a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In South Korea route, Vietnam Airlines will operate 21 flights a week between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Seoul, Busan. The airlines will operate 7 flights a week between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong. It will also operate 7 flights to Taiwan from Vietnam’s two biggest cities weekly.  

The latest timetable updates also show that Vietnam Airlines is planning to resume international services to major destinations in Asia and Europe.

The announced flight resumptions indicate Vietnam’s national airline is now confident it can generate enough bookings from repatriation passengers and those engaged in essential travel.

The update reported by Airline route indicates the airline plans to fly a daily service to Bangkok from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City using an Airbus A350 even though the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand could still extend the ban on international flights beyond the cut off date 30 June.

It remains possible that the CAAT could extend the ban on international flights serving Thai airports until the end of July as the country favours a cautious approach to reduce the chances of a second a wave of infections.

Two destinations in Europe will be served out of Hanoi. Paris gets a weekly flight using an A350 and Frankfurt a single flight weekly using a Boeing 787.

Earlier the airline said it would resume international flights in July and then following a review opted for a relaunch in August.

But that statement was issued before the airline gained the protection of Thailand’s bankruptcy court to initiate a comprehensive restructuring plan. It has since re-evaluated the proposed reintroduction of international flight opting for a relaunch in September.

This was a plan that depended on permission from the government, VnExpress cited comment from Vietnam Airlines CEO Duong Tri Thanh.  

"Vietnam Airlines is ready to resume flights as soon as the restrictions are lifted," he added. 

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control to figure out criteria defining "safe" regions and areas to which international commercial passenger flights could be gradually resumed.

The regions could be those without new COVID-19 community infection for 30 days in a row, added the Government chief, suggesting Guangzhou, Chinese Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo.

PM Phuc also asked for introduction of quarantine instructions for passengers onboard such flights.

He asked the Ministry of National Defense to continue arranging centralized quarantine facilities for new incoming entrants.

► Vietnam poised to welcome back foreign travelers post COVID-19

Source: Zing, TTRW