The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has just sent a report to the Ministry of Transport on the draft plan to restore domestic air transport activities to safely adapt to the pandemic.

Receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine

To maintain domestic air transport activities, remove difficulties for aviation businesses, and promote the economic recovery for localities while ensuring the pandemic prevention and control, airlines are allowed to actively organize transportation (build flight schedules, sell tickets, and conduct operations) according to the plan. The opening, sale, and operating will change in accordance with the changes to social distancing regulations in the locality. Simultaneously, facilitating the transportation of people on official duty, medical staff, and staff on duty of pandemic prevention; gradually meet the demand for air travel for eligible passengers .

The CAAV asks airlines to meet the requirements of the Ministry of Transport's Interim guidance on pandemic control for air transport during the Covid-19 pandemic.

All flight crew and airline staff must have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine; they must possess a negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 within 72 hours before the flight and ensure to maintain the rating according to the regulations on flight operations.

Additionally, for all periods, new routes of each airline or routes of airlines with a frequency of up to one flight/day in the first week of April 2021 are allowed to operate with frequency of one flight/day and will be exploited according to the airlines’ needs when all localities in Vietnam completely remove social distancing according to Directive 16.

Airlines are allowed to open, sell, and operate domestic routes with the above requirements and conditions on the basis of slots confirmed by the CAAV. Phase one is allowed to sell flights with departure date within two weeks from the date that the plan is issued by the Ministry of Transport.

Phase two is allowed to sell flights with a departure date within two weeks from the time phase two is applied. In case the airlines do not operate in accordance with the approved plan, the CAAV will stop operating all domestic routes for one week.

In phase one, the frequency on each route for each airline does not exceed
50% of that airline's first week of April 2021. Photo: ST

What are the passenger requirements?

Passengers must possess a negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 within 72 hours; divided into phases. Phase one, pilot application two weeks after the plan is issued, includes officials, the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control force, and passengers have written consent to move/receive from the departure and arrival localities.

Passengers who have an isolation completion certificate and are transported directly by the isolation facility by specialized vehicle from the isolation facility to the departure airport, or have a certificate of two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, in which, the last dose injected within at least 14 days and not more than 12 months from the time of departure; or have a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 within 12 months from the time of departure.

Phase two will be applied two weeks after phase one, includes: officials, the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control force, and passengers have written consent to move/receive from the departure and arrival localities.

Passengers who have an isolation completion certificate and are transported directly by the isolation facility by specialized vehicle to the departure airport, or have a certificate of two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, in which, the last dose injected within at least 14 days and not more than 12 months from the time of departure; or have a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 within 6 months from the time of departure; or have confirmation of stay in a non-social distancing area under Directive 16 at least 14 days prior to travel.

Phase three, which is followed by phase two (if there is no other notice of the CAAV), does not restrict the type of transported passengers.

Notably, in phase one, the frequency on each route for each airline does not exceed 50% of that airline's first week of April 2021. In phase two, the frequency on each route for each airline does not exceed 70% of that airline's first week of April 2021.

In phase three, the frequency on each route for each airline does not exceed that of the first week of April 2021 and is exploited according to the airline's demand when all localities in Vietnam lift social distancing in accordance with Directive 16.