Hanoi restates order to keep Vietnam domestic market shut down

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has reiterated standing orders to the country’s carriers to sharply curtail domestic flights amid a major coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, and Pacific Airlines, CAAV states that they must continue to comply with orders originally issued in late July, which basically stops the sale of air tickets. In addition to curtailing domestic routes, the order limits scheduled passenger flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to just two daily, operated by Vietnam Airlines. Exceptions are made for cargo flights, as well as flights that are undertaken for “disease prevention and public service.” Other flights can be approved on a case by case basis. On 31 August, flight tracking site Flightradar24 shows a complete absence of domestic flights in the Southeast Asian country. The Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route was formerly among the world’s busiest routes. Traffic flows to Vietnam’s third biggest city, Da Nang, were also substantial. Vietnamese media reports that drones have been deployed in Da Nang to enforce a strict lockdown there.<br/>