Passengers at Nội Bài International Airport. The domestic aviation market is predicted to experience growth. VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The domestic aviation market is projected to grow by 7-10 per cent during the summer compared to the same period in 2019, reaching 3.5-3.7 million passengers per month (in June and August), and 4.2-4.5 million passengers in July, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

CAAV Director Đinh Việt Thắng pinned high hopes on the outlook of the domestic and international aviation market in the second quarter of 2023.

The domestic market is predicted to experience growth compared to the same period in 2019, while international flights are gradually recovering, reaching approximately 74 per cent of the levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Thắng.

Vietnamese airlines have planned to increase flights to meet the demand of passengers, focusing on routes to destinations with high tourism demand, such as Hà Nội, and HCM City to Đà Nẵng, Cam Ranh, Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt, Quy Nhơn, and Tuy Hòa, among others.

CAAV reported that Vietnamese airlines are currently operating 66 routes connecting Hà Nội, HCM City, and Đà Nẵng with 19 airports nationwide with over 650 flights per day.

In addition to increasing the flight frequency of existing routes, airlines have also launched new routes.

In the first six months, they carried 34.7 million passengers, including 14.7 million foreigners, up 49.6 per cent and nearly five times, respectively, compared to the same period in 2022.

An estimated 483,000 tonnes of goods were transported by air during the reviewed period, down 26 per cent year-on-year, the authority said.

It forecasts that in the remaining months of the year, the international aviation market will recover at a faster pace compared to the earlier months of 2023.

There are 52 foreign airlines and five local ones operating on 143 international routes, connecting 29 countries and territories in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa with Hà Nội, Đà Lạt, HCM City, Cam Ranh, Phú Quốc and Đà Lạt.

Some markets have recorded high growth compared to pre-pandemic levels, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia (up 10 per cent-30 per cent). The Japanese market has reached a level similar to that of 2019.

Vietnamese airlines have also opened new routes to destinations in India, Australia and Kazakhstan, Notably, Vietnamese and Chinese airlines will strengthen their operation on routes from Cam Ranh, Đà Nẵng, and Đà Lạt to over 40 cities in China through tourism charter flights. — VNS