HCMC – Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province yesterday, September 12, welcomed two flights that transported 345 passengers returning from the United States, which were eligible for the Health Ministry’s pilot Covid vaccine passport program.
Flight VN5413 carrying 161 passengers on board landed at the airport at 11:18 a.m. and Flight VN5415 with 184 passengers arrived at the airport at 12:21 p.m.
Before boarding the flights, the passengers were required to be in good health, be fully vaccinated against Covid, test negative for the coronavirus through RT-PCR or RT-LAMP tests 72 hours before departure, as well as fully comply with Covid safety protocols during the trip.
After their arrival at the airport, the passengers were transported to a local resort to quarantine for seven days and then asked to self-quarantine at their own accommodation for another week.
Even though the passengers of these flights were at low risk for Covid infection, the airport still implemented strict anti-virus measures as it does for other repatriation flights to avoid cross infection among the passengers and the airport staff.
Up to now, the airport has successfully welcomed three flights under the pilot Covid vaccine passport program approved by the Government. Earlier, on September 4, it welcomed one flight from Japan under the pilot program.
Pham Ngoc Sau, director of Van Don airport, said the operation of these flights showed positive results and would help the Government have more data to consider, assess and gain experience before scaling up the pilot program.
The airport would create favorable conditions for upcoming flights once the local aviation authority resumes international and domestic flights, Sau added.
