Vietnam restricts domestic capacity as pandemic worsens

Vietnam has restricted the number of seats on flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi — a major domestic route — amid the resurgence of coronavirus infections in the country. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) in an 8 July notice says that the country’s carriers were only allowed a total of around 1,700 seats per day, per way, on the route. Vietnam Airlines will be allowed to sell a maximum of 700 seats daily, while Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, as well as VietJet will be allocated between 200 and 400 seats for sale a day. The move would mean significant capacity cuts for Vietnamese carriers on a traditionally popular domestic route. Cirium schedules data shows that Vietnam Airlines offers around 25,000 seats one-way on the route for the week of 12 July, averaging out to over 3,500 seats a day. VietJet offers over 15,000 seats the same week, averaging to over 2,200 seats daily. <br/>