HCMC – Anticipating that travel demand during the upcoming summer will rise sharply, and even higher than the pre-pandemic levels, local carriers are offering millions of air tickets.
The three airlines under Vietnam Airlines Group — Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO — are offering over 7.1 million seats during the peak travel season between June 1 and August 15, up 10% against the pre-pandemic figure in 2019.
According to the three carriers, they will offer nearly 6.3 million seats, equivalent to over 32,400 flights, on domestic routes, up 10% versus the pre-pandemic period.
From June 1 to August 15, they will operate some 430 domestic flights per day, with the busiest routes linking with Hanoi, Danang, and HCMC seeing around 160 flights per day.
For international travel, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will operate over 3,600 flights with over 852,000 seats, equal to 40% of the 2019 figure, as international travel demand has yet to recover.
Vietravel Airlines, another local carrier, also forecast that the travel demand would increase strongly in the summer travel season. Therefore, Vietravel is working on plans to increase its flight frequency.
However, Vietravel Airlines did not give further information as it is seeking an airport slot from the national aviation authority.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the local tourism industry is recovering well. During the Reunification Day and International Labor Day holidays on April 30 and May 1, the country recorded around five million domestic visitors, with two million visitors staying overnight at lodging facilities.