Planes at Nội Bài International Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport has announced a pilot programme on the resumption of domestic flights, with three provinces and cities that previously refused to allow the flights, Hải Phòng, Gia Lai and Hà Nội, all agreeing to restart them.

The pilot programme is carried out between October 10-20. Passengers will be expected to follow the quarantine measures in place at their destination.

During the programme, the MoT will co-ordinate with localities to assess their circumstances and the results, before proposing necessary adjustments to the Prime Minister.

Under the pilot programme, the MoT allowed the resumption of 38 return domestic flights per day in 19 provinces and cities.

Airlines will be allowed to operate one return flight between HCM City and Bình Định, Đà Nẵng, Huế, Khánh Hòa, Nghệ An, Phú Yên, Quảng Bình, Quảng Nam, Thanh Hóa, Hải Phòng, Phú Quốc, Gia Lai and Rạch Giá.

There will also be one return flight between Hà Nội/HCM City – Đà Nẵng, Đà Nẵng – Cần Thơ/Đắk Lắk, Thanh Hóa – Lâm Đồng. Flights between Hà Nội – Cần Thơ will be flexible based on the actual circumstances.

Hải Phòng will operate a round trip to HCM City. Hà Nội will have two round trips to Đà Nẵng and HCM City. Gia Lai will operate a round trip to HCM City daily.

The MoT requires passengers to have had two doses of vaccine, or have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months, and test negative for SARS-CoV-2 within three days before departure.

Passengers must complete medical declarations, and will not be allowed to board if they have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing.  

After the flight, passengers must report to local authorities, self-quarantine at home based on the guidance of local authorities.

Leaders of the Hà Nội People’s Committee on Saturday asked eligible arriving passengers from HCM City to Nội Bài International Airport to also have proof of negative SARS-CoV-2 test done 72 hours before departure, quarantine for seven days at the city’s centralised quarantine centres, followed by another seven-day self-isolation for medical observation. A list of the centres will be announced in detail and passengers will pay for quarantine fees along with testing costs themselves. 

Passengers from Đà Nẵng will be asked to have proofs of negative tests as well, but only need to self-isolate for seven days, with first and second COVID-19 tests at the first and the seventh day of stay.

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành said: "The resumption of flights is necessary in the current situation to gradually restore and develop the socio-economy for localities, gradually bringing people's lives back to normal.”

Flights also have a latent risk for spreading the virus, leading to new outbreaks affecting socio-economic development and people’s health, thus the opening must be careful with close guidance and smooth co-ordination from central to local levels, he said. — VNS