HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s airline industry has made great progress in recent years, despite still having a young industry in the country, said Transport Deputy Minister Nguyễn Nhật during a conference in Hà Nội yesterday.

The conference, focused on airline transportation policies and facilitating tourism to Việt Nam, aimed to support Vietnamese airlines and expand foreign airlines’operation in Việt Nam.

The growth in the domestic airline industry has been shown with 55 foreign airlines with almost 100 international direct routes to Việt Nam, compared to only 20 airlines in 1993.

Many major airlines including Việt Nam’s flagship carrier Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and others such as Cathay Pacific, Thai Cargo and Cebu Pacific together with representatives from the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation and other ground control units.

Nhật said that in keeping with the Government’s aim to improve the business environment and create favourable conditions for investment, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) have made efforts to resolve businesses’ difficulties.

At the conference, attendees discussed Việt Nam’s aviation policies, problems foreign airlines encounter in Việt Nam and plans to expand international airports.

The aim of the conference was to establish a Collaborative Decision Making Committee, and to reduce delays, increase efficiency and eliminate noise pollution.

Airlines also proposed plans to expand and upgrade Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in the near future, and requested Việt Nam’s managing authorities devise plans to cut costs at other airports.

At the conference, representatives from the MoT and the ACV outlined the development plan for Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, including the expansion of the apron to 21 hectares, expected to accommodate 30 aeroplanes by the end of 2017, with nine spaces ready to be operational within the month.

The Terminal 2 (T2) will also be upgraded to serve 12 to 13 million passengers per year, an increase from 10 million passengers at present.

Regarding high operational costs, the ACV stated that Việt Nam’s airport operational costs are less than Singapore and Thailand, with prices at a reasonable level, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standards. The ACV also has discount policies for airlines beginning operations in Việt Nam to ease their financial burden. — VNS