HCM CITY — New-age carrier Vietjet’s president &CEO Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo late January 30 arrived at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport to check the airline’s operations in the days before the Lunar New Year.

Accompanying Thảo were two vice presidents Tô Việt Thắng and Nguyễn Đức Thịnh. The check-up was carried out after Đinh Việt Thắng, Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), did the same thing at the airport and wished Vietjet staff and employees a happy new lunar year.

In 2018, Vietjet carried 23.16 million passengers on more than 118,900 safe flights via 39 domestic and 66 international routes. Vietjet had the highest aircraft technical reliability rate in Asia-Pacific – 99.64 per cent – with a young fleet of average 2.82 years old.

Madam Thảo talks to a Vietjet cabin crew.

To meet the increased travel demand during the Lunar New Year and other festivals in 2019, Vietjet has provided an additional 2,500 flights and offered more than 500,000 tickets for sale. The new-age carrier would deploy more than 12,500 flights between January 20 and February 19 – including more than 4,000 international flights – up 20 per cent year on year.

The airline’s leaders visited the staff working at check-in counters, security check area, boarding gates and the SkyBoss waiting room, and inspected aircraft technical maintenance activities. Thảo and her colleagues also wished a good year to passengers at the airport.

According to Vietjet CEO, as travel demand was predicted to increase sharply in the Tết (Lunar New Year) period, night employees must do their best to improve the quality of products and services and guarantee the security and safety for the flights in this period.

Vietjet CEO is welcomed by many passengers at the airport.

The CEO also talked to passengers at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and welcomed their feedback on the firm’s services, and was pleased to know the airport had been well-organised despite the rising number of travellers.

According to Trần Trọng Thưởng, chief representative of Vietjet at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, check-in counters and security check areas were strengthened with machines and officials to prepare for additional thousands of Vietjet flights during Tết.

Check-in kiosks were always in readiness to reduce the workload for check-in counters that were filled with passengers, helping travellers check in without spending time waiting at traditional counters, Thưởng said.

Vice presidents Thắng and Thịnh thanked and asked for the best co-operation with airport units, such as the security staff, customs and immigration, and other partners such as the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Saigon Ground Services (SAGS), Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) and the airport management for their mutual efforts to organise safe flights.

Madam Thảo grants lucky money for Vietjet passengers.

The security check areas were equipped with modern devices to improve the quality of luggage and personal scanning and to raise the communication between security officials and passengers.

The two vice presidents also met Vietjet ground employees and cabin crews to wish them a happy new year. In response, they were eager to bring happy, safe flights to passengers.

On the ground, technicians and engineers said preparations for the high-demand Tết period had been completed.

On the same day at the Southern Airports Authority, Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, leaders of the Ministry of Transport and National Traffic Safety Committee held a meeting to raise the awareness and enhance efforts to assure traffic safety during Tết and spring festivals of 2019.

Vietjet vice president Thắng said the company was gathering resources, improve the quality of services for passengers, and put flight safety as a priority. The aviation firm also urged pilots, attendants and technicians to strictly follow regulated safety procedures.

The CEO inspects aircraft technical maintenance activities.

Vietjet is the flagship airline with modern technologies and applications to reform the management process towards modernisation and automation, making it easier and more convenient for both the company and passengers.

At the meeting, the National Traffic Safety Committee spoke highly of Vietjet’s efforts in modernising its operations and said half of  Vietjet passengers had been using check-in kiosks and mobile application to check in, reducing the workload for the airport.

Besides technologies, Vietjet has prepared extra planes and flights to make sure travel demand is met during Tết. Vietjet now has a fleet of 70 aircraft, which are arranged flexibly and ready to serve travellers during Tết and spring festivals in 2019.

Vietjet officials also go north and check the firm’s operation at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội.