Vietjet returns to Vietnam's clear blue skies

Most Vietjet's flights are full post-pandemic period

Fully packed flights

On flight VJ178, departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi at 7pm on May 26, 2020, all 42 seat rows of the Airbus A321 were full. This reflects the high demand for air travel in Vietnam just weeks after the social distancing measures ended.

According to the statistics of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), from April 19 to May 18, airlines in Vietnam served over 8,600 flights on domestic routes. The number of flights nearly doubled on-month and Vietjet has resumed all of its domestic routes at full capacity.

Vietjet’s first officer Phan Phuong An said flights connecting big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang were mostly fully loaded. “Returning to the sky with these beloved Jets, I am delighted to fly people again throughout the country. The pandemic has been contained in Vietnam and many other countries will soon be pandemic-free, too. Step by step I believe that the aviation industry will strongly recover,” said Phuong An.

Operating flights with full seat capacity are nothing new for an airline that often reaches 87 per cent seat occupancy. Vietjet has already prepared a plan during the social distancing to encourage passengers to take to the skies once again.

After receiving the approval to resume operations from CAAV, Vietjet has been offering a series of ticket promotions with millions of cheap airfares available on all domestic routes.

Le Hoai Thu (Ho Chi Minh City) said that she had important duties in Hanoi but hesitated to fly as she thought that airfares would be expensive post-pandemic. However, she decided to buy tickets right away when she saw the affordable airfares on Vietjet’s website. “I reckon that ticket promotions like Vietjet’s do not only boost the recovery of aviation but also create great value for people like us to travel at ease,” said Thu.

Vietjet's flight crew are confident in the aviation industry's recovery

Optimistic team

In addition to the flyer-friendly ticket policy, the confidence and optimism of the Vietjet team during the pandemic and in its aftermath has also significantly contributed to the airline's recovery. Purser Dang Lan Anh said that during the social distancing period, she spent more time studying at the company's academy, resting, and playing sports to maintain her health and physique. "I tell myself that even when we were wearing a mask, passengers could see our smile and hospitality through our eyes," Lan Anh said.

Captain Yudhie Hanrianto who carried out the repatriation flight bringing Vietnamese home from Indonesia on April 26 excitedly said, “I landed on the ground of my home country on a special mission to bring Vietnamese friends home. I felt extremely honoured and optimistic. Vietjet has returned to the sky and is ready to contribute to Vietnam’s economic growth.”

To mark the airline’s return to the skies, Vietjet’s Captain Le Trung Hieu made a video with the hashtags #backtothesky and #togetherwewin. The clip shows a day in the life of an airline captain with each step from early morning to the sunrise take-off, climbing to an altitude of 10,000 metres followed by a safe landing.

Vietjet was one of the airlines that managed to recover quickly after the pandemic

Trung Hieu, who frequently conducts donation cargo flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Cam Ranh (Nha Trang), South Korea, and other countries during the pandemic, shared, “We felt excited and simply overjoyed when the flights were resumed. It meets the travel demands of people and brings us hope, inspiration, and extraordinary motivation.”

In addition to current domestic operation, the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam has requested the CAAV to study the resumption of commercial international routes on a bilateral basis and report before June 10 for the prime minister’s review and decision.