North-South flight routes busy during upcoming National Day holiday

Passengers queue up to complete procedures at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HÀ NỘI — Airlines will operate more than 4,200 flights during the National Day holiday, which will last from August 31 to September 3, according to reports from Vietnamese airlines.

They will have 840 flights per day on average, an increase of 3 per cent compared to the week before the holiday and up 3.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Of which, domestic flights will account for about 600 flights per day, up 5 per cent compared to the previous week and up 2.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. There will be nearly 250 international flights per day, down 2 per cent compared to the week before holiday and up 5.1 per cent compared to last year.

Regarding domestic flights on North-South routes connecting the three major cities of Hà Nội-Đà Nẵng-HCM City, Vietnamese airlines have increased operations with an average of more than 240 flights per day, an increase of 8 per cent compared to the week before the holiday and an increase of 14.9 per cent compared to last year.

Those are the busiest domestic routes, with high operating frequency not only on major holidays but also on normal days.

Domestic tourist flights to Vinh, Bình Định, Đà Lạt, Nha Trang, Phú Quốc as well as from Hà Nội and HCM City to localities are also increased by airlines, with an average of 171 flights per day and 187 flights per day, up 2 and 4 per cent respectively compared to the week before holiday.

Ticket prices

Survey of airline ticket prices on August 20 showed that ticket prices during the National Day holiday increased by about 20 per cent compared to before the holiday.

On the Hà Nội – Nha Trang route, the airfares announced by the airlines are VNĐ2.4-3 million (US$95-120) each way, an increase of about 24 per cent compared to the previous week of the holiday.

The airfares tend to increase, but mainly on the days starting and ending the holiday. For the days in the middle of the holiday, the airfares are relatively stable, equivalent to the days before the holiday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) commended the Vietnamese airlines for balancing and arranging their passenger plans during the upcoming National Day holiday, in the context of many difficulties, especially from having a reduced number of planes.

The CAAV recommends that during the upcoming holiday peak period, passengers should proactively monitor flight schedules and arrange travel time to airports to avoid congestion or inconvenience due to flight delays.

In addition, depending on each individual’s conditions, passengers can consider booking tickets on flights departing early or late in the day, to have more options for cheaper prices, said the CAAV. — VNS