National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will limit the number of passengers on flights to Ho Chi Minh City from April 6-15 following a request from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

The airline will carry a maximum of 180 passengers on Boeing 787 and Airbus 350 aircraft, and no more than 120 passengers on its Airbus 321 planes, the carrier said on April 5.

The move aims to ensure all passengers at HCM City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport are tested for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19).

Currently, all passengers on domestic flights to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport are tested for the virus.

A representative of Vietnam Airlines said if the number of visitors to HCM City via the Tan Son Nhat airport continues to rise, competent agencies may quarantine them before giving them medical tests.

Also on April 5, the airline announced that it will adjust the frequency of its flights from Hanoi/HCM City to Da Nang after the central city began implementing a 14-day quarantine period for passengers arriving from the two major cities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the carrier will conduct three round trips per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on each route from April 7-15.

It will continue operating one flight per day from Hanoi to HCM City and vice versa.

The carrier’s flight schedule will depend much on the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has committed to helping passengers on domestic flights change their flights or routes as per current regulations.

Crew members on all of its flights will be equipped with protective gear. The crew and passengers are required to have their body temperature checked and must make health declarations before boarding flights. All planes are being disinfected after landing in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City.

Vietnam Airlines has suspended international flights until April 30.