HCM CITY — The number of passengers taking flights at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City rose to a record 124,000 in a day, according to Nguyễn Nam Tiến, deputy director of the airport.

The number on Sunday set a record compared to previous years, Tiến spoke on Tuesday at a meeting with the inspection team of the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam.

As many as 827 flights were recorded at the airport on Sunday, while 794 were recorded on the peak day of 2017, Tiến added.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam said the number of passengers was expected to increase by 20 per cent this year to more than 4.1 million on a total of 26,288 flights.

More X-ray machines, check-in counters and an additional luggage belt as well as aerobridges leading from the terminal to departure gates had been set up to serve passengers, he said.

A team had been established to solve problems at the airport, he added.

In the last several days, there were unexpected problems that delayed flights for 30 minutes to one hour. Several flights were delayed for four hours.

A representative of Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company said that 6,609 flights had been scheduled during this Tết, an increase of 978 compared to the same period last year.

The total number of passengers on these flights were expected to total nearly 1.4 million, up by 25 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The routes seeing an increase in flights were from: HCM City - Hải Phòng City, Thanh Hóa Province, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Quảng Nam Province’s Chu Lai airport, Quy Nhơn city in Bình Định Province, Khánh Hòa Province’s Cam Ranh City and Kiên Giang Province’s Phú Quốc; and Hà Nội - Cần Thơ.

Forty per cent of the total number of passengers on Vietjet flights have checked in online.

Trần Doãn Mậu, director of Southern Airports Authority, said airline companies had encouraged customers to check in online.

Võ Huy Cường of Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam instructed companies to continue asking passengers to check in online to reduce congestion at ticket counters.

"If flights are delayed, the companies should have representatives to speak to passengers," he said.

To prevent traffic jams, the airport authority should fine individuals parking more than the regulated time of 3 minutes at pick-up and drop-off areas, Cường added. – VNS