Effectively exploit flight routes at Vinh Airport

(Baonghean) - Vinh International Airport is currently opening more flight routes to meet people's travel needs.

Currently, Vinh International Airport has 7 domestic flight routes including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Buon Ma Thuot, Da Lat, Cam Ranh and Pleiku (Gia Lai) with a normal frequency of 16 flights/day of 5 airlines. In the first 6 months of 2016, the number of passengers passing through Vinh Airport reached nearly 1 million passengers, an increase of 27.8% compared to the same period in 2015.

Check baggage at Vinh International Airport.

One month ago, on June 8, the Vinh - Bangkok direct flight route, jointly opened by Vietravel and the People's Committee of Nghe An province, was officially launched. According to the assessment, opening a direct flight route to Bangkok is suitable for the needs and tastes of the people, especially during the 3 summer months. The route was put into operation with a frequency of 1 flight/month, using a 180-seat A320 aircraft of Thai Vietjet. The price was also fixed, including round-trip fare and the price including the package tour provided by Vietravel.

Ms. Vo Thi Thu Hoai - Deputy Director of Vietnam Transport Tourism and Marketing Joint Stock Company - Vietravel Vinh Branch said: Thanks to good propaganda and promotion work and Vietravel's promotional policy, with the price of 6,990,000 VND/person, tourists can use professional services, visit and experience famous tourist destinations of Thai people... To promptly meet the demand for Thailand tourism of Nghe An people and the North Central provinces, in July 2016, Vietravel organized 5 charter flights on July 9, July 13, July 17, July 21, July 25 and all flights were fully booked (180 seats/flight).

The opening of a new international flight route to Bangkok (Thailand) is creating a good impression for Vinh International Airport. Currently, there are 5 airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Vasco, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and Thai Vietjet. There are peak times when Vinh Airport welcomes 7 flights at the same time, 80 flight attendants are assigned to shifts to serve passengers attentively, especially during peak times at noon (12pm) and in the evening (7-8pm). Vietjet Air is the most efficient, with the most passengers. Since the beginning of the year, Vietjet Air has had 186,000 passengers passing through Vinh Airport, with about 1,220 flights.

However, some routes such as Vinh - Nha Trang (started in December 2015) have not had many airlines participating, only Jetstar has operated but the schedule of bringing passengers to the airport is unstable, sometimes arriving in Nha Trang at midnight, which is very inconvenient for passengers. In addition, the Vinh - Bangkok route is seasonal, only serving tourists in the summer for 3 months and passengers traveling in the opposite direction from Thailand to Vinh have not been exploited. The Vinh - Vientiane international route was highly anticipated because of the large number of Vietnamese people in Laos, but after less than 1 year of implementation (from October 2015), it has now had to close.

According to the leader of Vinh International Airport, in recent times, many new routes have been opened and have been effective. In the future, we hope to receive support to open more domestic and international routes from Vinh to Can Tho, Vinh - Phu Quoc; Vinh - Singapore, Vinh - Taiwan... To meet the needs of receiving passengers, Vinh International Airport needs to expand to meet the travel needs of passengers.

Vinh Airport has been approved by the Ministry of Transport to be adjusted to become an international airport from now until 2020 and orientation after 2030 (Decision No. 347/QD-BGTVT dated January 29, 2015). Vinh Airport serves the socio-economic development, defense and security of Nghe An, the North Central provinces and is a reserve airport for Noi Bai Airport.

Check in at Vinh Airport

Currently, the Provincial People's Committee is proposing that the Ministry of Transport create favorable conditions for investment in the construction of additional aircraft parking spaces, extending runways, renovating the old domestic terminal into an international terminal; and replacing the current airport fence with a solid fence to ensure aviation safety.

To plan for upgrading and expansion, the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Transport need to have a plan to develop a specific plan for Vinh International Airport in the future, not to grant land for projects to build factories and high-rise buildings near Vinh Airport, reserve enough land area to expand the airport in the future, strengthen the role of the Port Authority in State management at Vinh Airport...

Investing in good infrastructure is the basis for developing existing flight routes, and at the same time exploiting and opening new flight routes to meet people's travel needs and serve the requirements of socio-economic development in the area.

Thu Huyen