Could this be actual good news for the travel industry? According to Vietjet, they might be looking to restart flights again as they continue to bring Vietnamese citizens home in response to citizens’ requests and in line with the country’s quarantine measures.
Vietnam has been one of the most successful countries in expressing the spread of COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Despite bordering China and with a significant population of 97 million people, the country has only 300 or so recorded cases and not a single death.
As the country opens up again, there is still the issue with opening up the country to foreigners and tourists. We look at what’s happening right now with their major airline and what we can expect.
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What is happening right now with Vietjet
In the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietjet launched a campaign to repatriate passengers with many free flights and one-way ferry flights to bring Vietnamese and foreign citizens back. Vietjet also participating in transporting thousands of tons of essential goods, medical equipment and donated more than 2.5 million medical masks to the people of the UK, France, Germany and the US to support countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, as the country has continued to control the spread of the disease and is seen as a global success, there is a call to bring back their citizens outside the country. So on July 18, Vietjet operated an international flight bringing 240 Vietnamese citizens from the Philippines back home safely. The flight departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and arrived at Can Tho International Airport in Southern Vietnam for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
In the same month, Vietjet has also operated three other repatriation flights from Singapore, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The airline is expected to operate four more flights to bring more Vietnamese citizens home from the Philippines, Russia, Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar.
Passengers on repatriation flights that are granted priority includes children under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, people with health problems, workers with expired labour contracts and no accommodation, along with students without residence due to dormitory disclosure.
Vietjet expects to bring nearly 10,000 Vietnamese citizens safely back home by the end of July, fully complying with entry requirements and quarantine upon arrival. All Vietjet flights are in accordance with global standards and recommendations from authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to ensure the safety of all passengers and crews during the passage of flight.
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What does this mean for international travel?
Vietjet says that they will continue to work closely with the authorities and the Government to adjust flight frequencies according to circumstances and increase repatriation and commercial flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back home. Currently, the airline has completed preparations to resume international flights and is awaiting official approval from the Government.
So what is next for travellers looking to go to Vietnam
While all of us can’t wait for global travel to restart, remember that safety is paramount. So, we encourage everyone to check with the relevant authorities when it is safe to travel to Vietnam.
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