Passengers make check-in procedures at the Nội Bài International Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Việt Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The air travel market grew in the first half of this year, however the growth rate slowed down compared to the same period last year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

A CAAV report on aviation service quality in the first half of this year found that aviation sector, including local and international airlines, transported 38.5 million passengers, up 9.4 per cent year-on-year.

Vietnamese airlines operate 48 domestic routes connecting 22 airports, of which national carrier Vietnam Airlines runs 33 routes, budget carrier Vietjet Air  35 routes, Jetstar Pacific  23 routes, Vietnam Air Services (VASCO) manages nine routes and newly-opened Bamboo Airways with 24 routes.

Total passengers transported by Vietnamese airlines reached 18.3 million, up 6.2 per cent year-on-year, with the national carrier Vietnam Airlines accounting for 35.9 of market share, VASCO at 2 per cent, Vietjet Air 44 per cent, Jetstar Pacific 13.9 per cent and Bamboo Airways 4.2 per cent.

Meanwhile, 72 international airlines ran more than 200 regular international routes and charter flights from 25 countries and territories to eight airports in Việt Nam. These airlines transported 20.2 million passengers during the period, up 12.5 per cent year-on-year.

In the first half of the year, the Vietnamese airlines carried out more than 153,000 flights, up 2.4 per cent year-on-year, with an  on-time performance (OTP) rate of 84.8 per cent. The punctual flight rate fell 1.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

The number of cancelled flights was 274, accounting for 0.2 per cent, up 0.1 percentage points over the same period in 2018.

As for the Vietnamese airlines’ rate of OTP flights, Bamboo Airways took the highest percentage with 93.8 per cent, followed by VASCO, Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific with 93 per cent, 89.1 per cent, 81.5 per cent and 78.1 per cent, respectively.

In the first half of this year, VietJet Air and VASCO were the two airlines with the most cancelled flights with a total of 110 flights.

VASCO’s cancellations were due to weather and technology problems. The carrier currently operates flights from Nội Bài to Vinh, Điện Biên and Đồng Hới airports by TR72 aircraft. These airports often encounter bad weather lasting days, leading to a high rate of cancelled flights. — VNS