The time limit for Vietnamese airlines to operate flights to China must be temporarily extended until the end of April or until May 2023.
Vietnamese airlines must temporarily extend the deadline for operating flights to China until the end of April or May 2023 to wait for China’s upcoming decision on whether to let passengers go to Vietnam, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019 14 airlines were operating between Vietnam and China, 11 of which were Chinese. These airlines ran 32 routes with a total frequency of 240 flights per week between 14 sites in China and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang.
Three airlines—Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, and Vietjet Air—operate 72 routes between five points in Vietnam—Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang—and 48 points in China, with a combined frequency of 276 regular trips/way/week and 145 non-routine trips/week (for a total of 421 flights/week).
The total number of passengers transported in 2019 was over 8 million, with over 4.6 million being carried by Vietnamese airlines, which hold over 60% of the market. China is the second-largest foreign market for Vietnam after the Korean market, with most passengers being tourists.
The Chinese tourist sector announced the reopening of tours to 20 nations in mid-February 2023, however, Vietnam was not included in this list. This is said to have affected Vietnamese airlines’ exploitation plan.
Before January 8, 2023, when China eased its limitations on regular international flights, all Vietnamese airlines developed strategies to carefully exploit this market, concentrating particularly on official visitors, businesses, relatives visiting from abroad, and foreign students.
From April 2023 forward, it is anticipated that exploitation would steadily expand to welcome Chinese visitors from abroad.
Also, all Vietnamese airlines have planned to run regular and charter flights from Vietnamese cities to several foreign locations, including cities in China. This is to prepare for the return of foreign travel between the two nations following the summer flight schedule for 2023 (starting from March 28).