Hanoi: Noi Bai airport ready for Lunar New Year travel surge

The Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi has got plans readied in anticipation of a strong surge in passenger throughput in the upcoming Lunar New Year festival (Tet), the biggest traditional event in Vietnam.

According to a representative of the airport, on the peak day of the holiday (from January 16 to 28), the numbers of flights and passengers could hit 580 and 104,000, respectively. Of the figures, there are some 180 international flights and 26,000 foreigners.

However, both the flight and passenger volume are still lower than those reported on the peak day of last summer with 64 flights and 106,000 passengers.

Noi Bai airport will raise the security level between January 16 and January 28; increase the number of security personnel by 20% compared to normal days; open all check-in counters; and operate security scanners at maximum level, among other works.

The airport is also ready to implement COVID-19 prevention and control measures in line with recommendations of the Ministry of Health.

The Lunar New Year holiday this year lasts from January 20 to 26, with the first day of the first lunar month falling on January 22. Travelling often begins to surge several days just before Tet.