Customers wait for their delayed flight at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on February 3, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh
659 flights were delayed in Ho Chi Minh City in the first three days of February as travel demand increased ahead of Tet, Vietnam’s biggest holiday period.
This number represents 60% of the more than 1,100 flights operated at Tan Son Nhat International Airport between midnight Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday, according to airport management.
This Tet (Lunar New Year Festival) will last from February 8 to 14, 2024. The traditional festival will peak on February 10.
VietJet Air recorded a delay rate of 74% and Vietnam Airlines 59%. These two carriers operated the greatest number of flights.
The same ratio was 70% for Jetstar Pacific and 57% for Bamboo Airways.
Over the past three days, 40 flights were canceled at Tan Son Nhat due to bad weather, accounting for 3.63% of the total.
Thick fog covering many locations in northern Vietnam in recent days has delayed flights and created a domino effect that has impacted operations at Tan Son Nhat, the country’s largest air hub. Some flights were delayed by four to five hours.
Deputy Transport Minister Le Anh Tuan ordered the airport to work more closely with airlines to improve transportation in these days of high demand as people travel to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year. Tet vacation, which begins on February 8.
Tan Son Nhat is expected to serve 900 flights on Sunday with 128,000 passengers.
The airport is Vietnam’s largest with a capacity of 28 million passengers per year, but it was already operating at 150% capacity, or 41 million passengers, in 2019.
It is expected to welcome between 120,000 and 150,000 passengers during this year’s holiday period, which is higher than the same period in 2019.
A third terminal is under construction and is expected to be completed next year to bring total capacity to 50 million passengers per year.
