The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has just implemented the Ministry of Transport's (MOT) guidelines on distancing passengers on planes to ensure Covid-19 prevention. To ensure safe transportation activities and minimize the risk of Covid-19 infection for flight crew members, flight attendants, service staff and passengers when participating in air transport, the CAAV requires Vietnamese airlines to strictly implement Directive 19/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister as well as directives and guidelines of the Ministry of Transport on measures to ensure Covid-19 prevention.
The Civil Aviation Authority requires Vietnamese airlines to inform passengers about the health declaration procedure according to the Health Declaration Form issued by the Ministry of Health. Health declaration is only required when electronic health declaration is not possible.
The arrangement of passengers sitting apart on the plane in the economy cabin must comply with the direction of the Ministry of Transport to ensure that passengers are one seat apart. However, for Business Class cabins (with separate partitions) and groups of passengers who are members of the same family, friends, colleagues from the same agency, business, travel group or have the same booking code on the flight, there is no need to be one seat apart. "In all cases, Vietnamese airlines are not allowed to seat more than 80% of the total number of seats on the plane" - the Civil Aviation Authority affirmed.
The Civil Aviation Authority requests Vietnamese airlines to notify passengers to encourage them to check-in at home to facilitate the proactive electronic declaration before arriving at the airport to reduce waiting time for procedures at the airport; continue to strictly implement measures to ensure Covid-19 prevention; make health declarations, always wear masks properly; regularly wash hands with soap or disinfectant solution; check body temperature; limit communication, eating and drinking on the plane; regularly disinfect surfaces. The Civil Aviation Authority requests regional airport authorities to coordinate and closely monitor the above implementation.
Previously, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam had sent an urgent document requesting the Ministry of Transport to allow an increase in the frequency of flights on domestic routes and to remove seat spacing on flights during the April 30 holiday. According to the Authority, recently, all flights have implemented the requirement of passenger spacing, with one row of seats between them, so the maximum number of seats for sale by airlines has only reached 66% of the configuration. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposed that the Ministry of Transport consider allowing the current seat spacing on planes to be removed, allowing airlines to transport passengers according to the configuration of the aircraft.
However, in a document dated April 28, the Ministry of Transport allowed an increase in the frequency of domestic flights from April 29, but still required passengers to be arranged to sit one seat apart or one meter apart on the vehicle.
