Hanoi (VNA)♔ - During the peak of the 2023 Lunar New Year, the number of air passengers increased sharply, an impressive sign of recovery and growth of Vietnam's aviation industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airports busy serving passengers

Statistics from the Ministry of Transport said that during the 7-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday from January 20-26 (the 29th day of the last lunar month of the Year of the Tiger to the 6th day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Cat), airports across the country served more than 1.9 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 58%. Particularly, Vietnamese airlines transported more than 967,000 passengers, an increase of 60.7% compared to the same period last year. The number of the flights taking off and landing at Vietnamese airports was about 13,000, up 39% year-on-year. According to a report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), from the 15th day of the last lunar month to the 15th day of the first lunar month, up to 11.2 million passengers passed through Vietnamese airports. Of the total, 2 million were foreign passengers. At Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City – the country’s busiest airport, the total number of flights operating during the peak period was 20,975, an increase of about 26.5% over the same period in 2022, carrying over 3.14 million passengers, up 61%. A leader of Tan Son Nhat airport said that on January 26 alone (the last day of the Lunar New Year holidays), the number of passengers passing through the airport amounted to more than 144,000 people – the highest recorded during the holidays. According to statistics at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, from the 28th day of the last lunar month to the 8th day of the first lunar month, the volume of flights taking off or landing at this airport reached 5,618, carrying nearly 900,000 passengers, up 49% and 71% compared to those of the same period last year, respectively. The CAAV said that although the number of passengers increased during the Tet holiday, there was no congestion at airports, especially Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat. Airports proactively prepared for the holiday season and worked closely with airlines and ground service units to provide maximum support for passengers, especially large groups and last-minute guests, said the agency.

On-time performance maintained at high level

The on-time performance (OTP) of Vietnamese airlines stood at 95.3% in January, down 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, while the number of flights increased 15.6%, said the CAAV. Bamboo Airways posted the best OTP, at 96.4%, followed by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines 95.9% and Vietjet Air 95%. The rate of Pacific Airlines was 93.6%, Vietravel Airlines 93%, and Vasco 86.9%. During the period under review, from December 19, 2022 to January 18, 2023, airlines in Vietnam conducted 29,416 flights, including 10,846 by Vietnam Airlines, 10,693 by Vietjet Air, 4,900 by Bamboo Airways, 1,912 by Pacific Airlines, 579 by Vasco, and 486 by Vietravel Airlines, according to the CAAV./.