HCMC – The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has taken back several landing and take-off slots from Vietnam Airlines Group, comprising Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO.
Five slots earlier allocated to Vietnam Airlines for its 2022 summer operation at Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport were taken back, the local media reported.
At the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC, 69 slots belonging to 25 flights of Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO were taken back.
CAAV said on August 3 that as of June 30, the authority had taken back 15 slots of Vietnam Airlines for the 2022 summer operation.
Airlines failing to use at least one slot for four straight weeks will have their slots taken back, according to CAAV.
The authority had earlier adopted multiple measures to lower the number of flight delays and cancellations, especially asking local airlines to follow regulations on allocated slots.
Chairing a meeting discussing solutions to minimize flight delays and cancellations on July 13, Dinh Viet Thang, head of CAAV, affirmed that if all measures were employed, but did not improve the situation of delays and cancellations, the number of flights would be cut.
Taking back slots is a harsh sanction on airlines, said a representative of a local air carrier, adding that the airlines did not want to change flight schedules and reduce slots. Slots are considered as airlines’ assets to expand their reach. The representative committed to closely working with the authority to improve the quality of air services and minimize flight delays and cancellations.
The number of delayed flights in July amounted to over 6,050, accounting for 18.2% of the total flights. Vietnam Airlines had the most flight delays at 2,748, representing 23.7% of its total flights, followed by Vietjet at 2,528, according to CAAV.
