HANOI – After the Government gave the green light to reopening the air route between Vietnam and China, on July 18, Vietnam Airlines quickly operated a Boeing B787 aircraft to carry Chinese passengers departing from London and transiting at the Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport, before arriving in China’s Nanjing.
The carrier faced multiple difficulties along the way while applying for a license for the flight to take off, said a representative of the airline.
Apart from this, China is also restricting the issuance of licenses for commercial international flights.
Commercial flights between Vietnam and China have been suspended since February, following the rapid spread of the coronavirus, plunging the revenue of local airlines, as China is one of their huge markets.
Despite the resumption of domestic air routes and a large number of passengers at this time, local airlines are still facing losses.
Certain international air routes connecting Vietnam with China’s Guangzhou, South Korea’s Seoul, Tokyo, Taiwan, Laos’ Vientiane and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh are set to reopen in August. Commercial flights on these routes will transport a limited number of passengers to Vietnam.
The reopening of some certain international air routes had earlier been approved by the prime minister, but the Ministry of Transport has yet to map out a final plan.
By Lan Nhi
