Airplanes at Nội Bài International airport. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The complicated development of monkeypox may affect the restoration of international flights, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

“The restoration of international flights has only reached about 40 per cent compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the routes to South Korea and China still face many difficulties," Đinh Việt Thắng, director of CAAV, said yesterday at a meeting of the Ministry of Transport.

CAAV has proposed restoring international flight routes by the end of 2022 to levels as before the pandemic. However, this goal will encounter barriers as monkeypox has so far appeared in many countries and they tend to tighten pandemic prevention and control measures, he said.

In July, the number of travellers at airports across the country reached 12 million. In which, the number of domestic passengers saw an increase of 40 per cent to 10.6 million while international passengers decreased 65 per cent to just 1.3 million.

The total volume of goods transported through Vietnamese airports reached 119,000 tonnes, dropping 9.3 per cent compared to before the pandemic.

At the meeting, Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể emphasised that security and flight safety need to be paid special attention as the rainy season begins.

Airlines also need to implement solutions to thoroughly handle flight delays and cancellations.

Inspections should also be enhanced to avoid congestion at large airports such as Hà Nội and HCM City, he said.  — VNS