Domestic flights fully booked for Tet

Several domestic flights are now over 90% booked as the Lunar New Year (Tet) approaches, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said Saturday.

A representative of the authority said several flights from Hanoi and HCMC to other domestic locations have high booking rates on the days leading to the Lunar New Year's Eve, between Feb. 1 and Feb. 9.

Flights of the Hanoi-Vinh route are 99% booked, while flights of the HCMC-Hue route are 92% booked. Flights from HCMC to Pleiku in the Central Highlands are 90% booked, to Thanh Hoa 93%, to Quy Nhon 92%, to Chu Lai 95% and to Vinh 89%.

Flights from HCMC to Quang Ninh's Van Don Airport, which is near Ha Long Bay, are all fully booked.

Booking rates are also high on the days that followed Tet, from Feb. 13 to 19.

Flights from Ca Mau in the Mekong Delta to HCMC are 97% booked, Hai Phong to HCMC 88% booked, Hue to HCMC 91% booked, and Pleiku to Hanoi fully booked.

For flights of certain routes between major cities like HCMC-Da Nang, HCMC-Hanoi, Hanoi-Da Nang and Hanoi-HCMC, booking rates are only at 30-40% before and after Tet, which peaks on Feb. 10.

The Lunar New Year is Vietnam's biggest holiday which often sees a huge number of people taking vacations or traveling back to their hometowns for family reunions.

The authority said local transport departments should arrange for there to be enough vehicles at airports so passengers of night flights can get around.

During the peaks of the incoming Tet season, domestic airlines are expected to provide 33,800 flights, a 14% increase from the same period in 2023. Among them, around 24,200 flights would be domestic ones, a 2% increase from the same Tet period last year, and a 27% increase from normal days. A total of 9,600 flights would be international ones, a 60% increase from the same period last year, and a 9% increase from normal days.

The three most popular flight routes are Hanoi-HCMC-Hanoi with over 5,000 flights, accounting for 21% of all flights in the period; the HCMC-Da Nang-HCMC route with over 2,200 flights; and the HCMC-Vinh-HCMC route with 1,600 flights.