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Currently, the demand for travel between Con Dao and major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho is increasing, especially during the tourist season. However, meeting this demand remains limited. Currently, only VASCO, a member of Vietnam Airlines, operates the sole route connecting these two locations, with a frequency of approximately 20-30 flights per week. This leads to a shortage of airline tickets, particularly during peak seasons.
According to information from the Vietnam Airlines website, in October, there were only three days with flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao. Round-trip tickets for standard economy class cost around 3 million VND, while premium economy tickets could reach nearly 6 million VND. With these prices and limited seats, finding a ticket to Con Dao is truly not easy.
The demand for tourism to Con Dao is increasing, but ticket shortages and sold-out situations are frequent occurrences.
Given the current situation of insufficient supply to meet demand for flights to Con Dao, voters in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province have sent a petition to the Ministry of Transport, discussing the difficulties faced by residents and tourists traveling between Con Dao and the mainland. Therefore, voters request the early implementation of a project to upgrade and expand Con Dao airport.
While awaiting the completion of the Con Dao airport upgrade and expansion project, many voters have urgently requested effective solutions to break the current monopoly on air travel. The fact that only one airline provides services between Con Dao and major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho not only drives up airfares and limits passenger choices but also causes significant inconvenience for local residents and tourists. To protect consumer rights and promote tourism development in Con Dao, encouraging other airlines to participate in this market is crucial.
In response to voters in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province regarding the aforementioned issues, the Ministry of Transport stated: Currently, due to infrastructure limitations, Con Dao Airport cannot accommodate large aircraft such as the A320/A321, but only aircraft such as the ATR72 and Embraer E190. Therefore, the operation of flights to Con Dao is somewhat limited.
After Bamboo Airways ceased operating the Hanoi - Con Dao route with Embraer aircraft for restructuring, currently only VASCO (a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines) is using ATR72 aircraft to operate the Con Dao - Ho Chi Minh City route with a frequency of 16 round-trip flights per day and the Con Dao - Can Tho route with a frequency of 5 round-trip flights per week.
The People's Committee of Con Dao District is trying to make arrangements to meet the needs of tourists.
This has significantly reduced the number of tickets available on flights to/from Con Dao, especially during peak periods such as festivals and tourist seasons. At those times, demand exceeds supply, indirectly leading to high airfares to/from Con Dao.
The Ministry of Transport has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to inspect the ticket sales activities of Vietnamese airlines. The inspection confirmed that airfares on routes to Con Dao comply with regulations on passenger transport fares on domestic routes.
The Ministry of Transport has requested the Prime Minister to assign the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to develop a plan for the investment, management, and operation of Con Dao Airport under the public-private partnership model, and to report to the Prime Minister for approval of its implementation.
Specifically, the Ministry of Transport will continue to review and work with the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to finalize the investment plan for Con Dao Airport this October; and report to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval to soon implement the project to upgrade and expand Con Dao Airport, meeting the needs of air transport and tourism…
