Proposal to resume normal domestic flight operations from June 1st.

Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam submitted a document to the Ministry of Transport recommending the removal of all regulations on social distancing on aircraft, as well as allowing airlines to transport passengers according to the aircraft's seating configuration from 0:00 on May 5, 2020.

However, the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority maintains the stance that the distance between passengers during check-in, security screening, and boarding at airports should be 1 meter. At the same time, other regulations on ensuring disease prevention and control will remain unchanged.

Furthermore, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam also recommended that the Ministry of Transport adjust the frequency allocation on domestic routes. Accordingly, from 0:00 on May 5, 2020, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route will increase its total frequency to 52 round-trip flights per day. Both the Hanoi - Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang routes will increase their total frequency to 20 round-trip flights per day. Other routes will be based on the needs of the airlines.

From 0:00 on June 1, 2020, domestic flights will operate normally, and airlines are allowed to sell tickets for domestic passenger and cargo flights, as well as international cargo flights, through their distribution systems for the entire 2020 summer flight schedule.

Regarding COVID-19 prevention and control, the Vietnamese aviation industry continues to implement disease prevention and control measures as required by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport, such as: health declarations, aircraft disinfection, social distancing in seating arrangements, temperature checks for passengers, refusing to transport passengers with symptoms of cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, and notifying airport health quarantine authorities for necessary medical measures…

Recently, the Ministry of Finance announced a draft regulation on the collection and payment of fees and charges in the aviation sector to support businesses facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the regulatory agency proposed reducing a series of fees and charges for airlines, airport operating rights, as well as customs fees and entry/exit fees for foreign flights to Vietnam.

Previously, the Civil Aviation Authority issued a document requiring domestic airlines to only sell tickets for flights that have been authorized by the agency. Currently, authorities have not granted long-term flight permits to airlines due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For flights where tickets have been sold without the granted flight permit, airlines must refund passengers the ticket price without charging any fees.

My Tong