The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport increase the frequency of flights to Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and Taiwan (China), given the great demand for returning home among overseas Vietnamese.

The Ministry of Transport has been granted autonomy in deciding the resumption of international commercial air routes.

Vietnam Airlines is planning to resume regular international flights linking Vietnam with 15 countries and territories in the first half of 2022.

Only Japan has officially agreed with Vietnam’s plan to resume regular international flights starting next year with four flights a week, the Civil Aviation Authority said on December 23.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has requested relevant ministries and agencies to complete laying down consistent, detailed guidelines regarding the reopening of international commercial flights.

Airlines are ready to resume routine international flights from January 1, 2022 after two years of interruption. However, they are concerned as regulations have not been released. Meanwhile, some problems still exist.

The reopening of international air routes, slated for January 1, will give more opportunities for passengers to fly to Vietnam.

Some have opined that although the tourism industry has been hit hardest by the pandemic, it can stand up again immediately, just like a compressed spring would return to its former shape when released.

Regular international flights from/to Vietnam will be resumed in two phases, with air travel with nine foreign destinations to be available again in the first phase and fifteen in the second phase.

Deputy Prime Ministers Vu Duc Dam and Pham Binh Minh have encouraged overseas Vietnamese to return to celebrate Tet.

Flying to Cambodia and taking a long-distance bus to the border gate to enter Vietnam is now the option chosen by many overseas Vietnamese.

Since March 2020, when international flights to Vietnam were interrupted and then stopped completely because of Covid-19, Vietnamese citizens have not been able to return home unless they book ‘rescue flights’.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has given the greenlight to restore regular international commercial flights to a number of countries in Asia and the United States starting on January 1, 2022.

The appearance of the new Omicron variant has put pressure on routine international flight reopening. However, Vietnam should not wait any longer, many experts say.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has said the sector will focus on resuming regular international flights in 2022 based on COVID-19 situation.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has ordered relevant agencies to take prompt action to meet foreigners and overseas Vietnamese (OV)’s demand for coming to Vietnam.

While aircraft are lying idle, Vietnamese in many countries have had to spend huge amounts of money to return to Vietnam.

The Ministry of Transport has submitted to the Prime Minister a plan on the pilot resumption of regular international flights carrying passengers to Vietnam from December 15, in anticipation of a year-end surge in travel demand.

After nearly two years of suspended international flights, with exceptions only for returning citizens and foreign experts coming to work, the Ministry of Transport has requested the resumption of regular international flights to Vietnam. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has agreed with the Health Ministry’s proposal on suspending international flights to and from some African countries due to concerns over the Omicron variant.