Airport staff guiding passengers through the boarding process at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — Nội Bài International Airport has announced that it will enhance the application of science and technology to address the issue of passengers exceeding the designed capacity to ensure service quality during the Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

Specifically, the airport has updated the flight information search application on smartphones, officially applied the airport collaborative decision making (A-CDM), and implemented a trial of electronic toll collection (ETC) for vehicles entering and exiting the airport.

Representative of Nội Bài International Airport said that the airport will receive a large number of passengers during the 2024 Lunar New Year with a peak of 608 flights and 105,000 passengers per day, an increase of about 12 – 15 per cent compared to last year's Tết holiday.

"This figure still does not exceed the peak of last summer when the highest day reached 693 flights and 116,000 passengers," he said.

The most crowded day before Tết is expected to be today, which falls on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, with 605 flights and 98,500 passengers.

The peak after Tết is expected to be on February 15, which falls on the 6th of the first lunar month, with 608 flights and 105,000 passengers. The peak hours for domestic arrivals and departures are expected to reach 3,000 passengers.

Service quality improved

To improve passenger service quality, the airport has developed and added many features to the flight information search feature on the iNIA smartphone app. Currently, this app has been installed by a large number of passengers and staff.

Security personnel conduct a random inspection on a passenger at Nội Bài International Airport. VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

In addition to checking information on incoming flights, the iNIA app is also supplemented with other important and useful information fields such as searching for lost and found items, calling taxis and viewing airport maps.

Furthermore, the airport is applying A-CDM since February 1, optimising the use of airport infrastructure, improving on-time performance-related indicators, minimising plans for allocating parking positions and check-in counters.

It will actively coordinate with relevant units to implement a trial of ETC for vehicles entering and exiting the airport.

He said the airport’s infrastructure has been fully equipped, with increased check-in counters to enhance capacity. At Terminal 1, 98 check-in counters are operational, along with 17 boarding gates, while Terminal 2 ensures the operation with 96 check-in counters and 17 boarding gates.

There are five Vietnamese airlines and 56 foreign airlines operating both regular and irregular flights to and from Nội Bài International Airport, he added.

Regarding measures to ensure security, the airport has applied the highest security level from February 6 to 16 under the direction of the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam. It has increased manpower at designated positions, supplemented 20 per cent of the normal duty personnel, and enhanced the frequency of random visual inspections for passengers and carry-on luggage passing through the security gates.

The aviation security control forces have closely coordinated with airlines to fully grasp flight schedules to develop plans for aircraft parking positions, counter allocation, gate arrangements and luggage conveyor allocation.

The airport has also collaborated with the Air Traffic Management Company in the North, the Meteorological Aviation Centre, and the Aviation News Notification Centre to implement aircraft towing and extreme weather warnings.

In HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, due to stable weather, the number of delayed flights has decreased, and the waiting area for departing flights at the airport is no longer overcrowded since February 5.

According to a representative of the airport, during the Lunar New Year peak period, the airport will coordinate flight information dissemination during peak hours to regulate and allocate resources as well as enhance exchange and slot review to operate in line with terminal capacity.

Passengers wait at the check-in counters at HCM City's Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

Figures from the CAAV showed that during the average Lunar New Year peak period, around 580 flights are operated per day with an average of about 337 domestic flights, an increase of about 16 per cent compared to the period before Tết.

The average number of seats provided is about 125,500 per day, with approximately 77,600 seats provided for domestic flights.

According to the assessment of the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, the expected decrease in delayed and cancelled flights is anticipated after February 8 when the weather forecast for the northern region shows signs of improvement.

360,000 train tickets sold out

Yesterday, Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that during the peak Tết days from February 1-5, the railway sector organised 83 trains departing from Sài Gòn Station to the central and northern regions, all departing on time.

Thái Văn Truyền, general director of the company, said the company has coordinated with local police to ensure safety and order for passengers at the station. At the same time, staff and volunteer youth have been deployed to guide and assist passengers.

Truyền said so far, approximately 360,000 tickets have been sold. Between February 6-7, there are still a few tickets left, mainly for auxiliary seats and short-distance journeys, and on February 8- 9, tickets are still available for all stations.

In the post-Tết period, from February 10-13th and from February 18 onwards, tickets are still available for all stations. From February 14th to 17th, there are still tickets available for short-distance journeys.

Currently, the railway sector is implementing preferential policies, such as discounts for social policy beneficiaries, labour unions and passengers with customer cards. A 5 per cent discount is applied to round-trip tickets, and students will receive a discount of 10-20 per cent on ticket prices, depending on the travel date. — VNS