The aviation industry is facing the toughest days in its history: airplanes have been left idle for several months, while the salaries of pilots and flight attendants have seen unprecedented sharp cuts.

Vietnamese airlines have recently unveiled plans to resume air routes following the containment of the second coronavirus outbreak, showing the fact that the aviation market has begun to pick up again.

The first regular international commercial flight to Vietnam on a Vietnamese airline after the second Covid-19 outbreak will occur on September 25.

Since the first coronavirus cases were detected in Vietnam in March, the outlook for air transport-related stocks has remained negative.

For the first time in six months, Vietnam Airlines' first routine international commercial flight took off from Hanoi on September 19 morning, heading to Japan.

The plan for the flights' resumption needs to be approved by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, chair of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Vietnam’s planned resumption of selected international flights on September 15 has been pushed back to an unconfirmed date as authorities continue to work on COVID-19 prevention measures.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed that certain air routes to and from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Taiwan (China), Laos, and Cambodia be resumed on September 15.

Fees for takeoff and landing and aircraft operating services for domestic flights will continue to be cut by 50 per cent for the next six months to support airlines affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Transport Ministry circular.

It is undeniable that the aviation industry has contributed greatly to the development of the global economy, accounting for roughly 3.6 per cent of total global GDP. 

“I am overwhelmed with joy. But the worry about what to do to help the corporation overcome the pandemic is 20 or 30 times more,” said the newly appointed chair of Vietnam Airlines.

The development of Covid-19, plus the low season, has led to a serious drop in travel demand. Airfares have been slashed continuously, some of them next to nothing.

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA) has proposed the Government lend domestic airlines a credit package of VND25 trillion-VND27 trillion (US$1.07 billion-$1.16 billion) at a preferential interest rate for a three-four year term.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has forecast a consolidated pre-tax loss for 2020 of nearly 15.18 trillion VND (over 650 million USD) due to COVID-19.

Vietnam Airlines is planning to sell nine A321CEO planes to optimize its fleet and improve its cash flow, as the national flag carrier’s revenue has dropped sharply due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company has reported a loss of over VND2.11 trillion (approx. US$90.5 million) in air transportation business in the first half of this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely dragged down revenues of the Vietnam Airlines Corporation (Vietnam Airlines) and the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) in the second quarter of this year.

“We’re about to go home” was something Vietnam Airlines’ flight attendants said repeatedly to Vietnamese citizens on a flight from Equatorial Guinea a couple of days ago.

To offset the decline in revenue from international flights, airlines have been trying to exploit more domestic air routes.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) a plan to resume international air routes.