Vietnam to consider reopening of international flight routes

The Ministry of Transport will consider the reopening of international flight routes to countries and territories which have no new cases of Covid-19 in the community for 30 consecutive days, according to a ministry official.<br/>The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Vietnam News Agency that priority will be given to Japan, South Korea, China (mainland) and Taiwan (China) and some Southeast Asian countries which have controlled the disease. “The Covid-19 pandemic is taking place in many countries around the world. Under the Government’s direction, the reopening of international flights needs to be considered carefully." The resumption of international flights is scheduled to begin at the end of July, according to a proposal from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) sent to the ministry recently. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently directed that the reopening of international flights will have to ensure safety for people because just a small mistake will mean social distancing measures have to be implemented again. “The reopening aims to serve investors, technical staff and skilled workers in Vietnam. It creates conditions for Vietnamese people living abroad to return home. However, all still have to follow strict control procedures to prevent the spread of the pandemic to the community, ” the ministry official said. “Vietnam Airlines has conducted one-way flights transporting Vietnamese people to South Korea for work and study, but it is difficult to restore all international routes.”<br/>