Hanoi (VNA) -⛄ The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has been certified with the highest 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating for the safety measures and improved hygiene processes introduced by the firm to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Ninth airline to be certified with Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating

Vietnam Airlines is the first carrier in Vietnam and the ninth in the world to be certified with the Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating. The Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating is the global assessment and certification of airline health and safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic that is based on professional and scientific investigation of the standards being provided by the airline. The Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Accreditation is regarded as a global benchmark for evaluating COVID-19 safe travel. Vietnam Airlines encourages their guests to “Travel with Confidence” having conducted a broad risk assessment across all major customer touchpoints. The airline has leveraged its membership of the SkyTeam Alliance and has implemented the “SkyCare & Protect” brand across airports in Vietnam.

Different levels of pandemic prevention

Vietnam Airlines has recently increased the number of hand hygiene units at all high contact areas at check-in, boarding, baggage reclaim, and in the Lotus Lounges. Onboard service has been simplified to reduce contact between customers and staff – however, cabin crew wear a full-range of personal protective equipment, and passengers are given sanitisers and wipes, and can request face masks. The standard and type of inflight hygiene products are expected to be updated as the airline undertakes more international flights. According to Edward Plaisted, General Director of Skytrax, Vietnam Airlines has implemented a broad range of enhanced hygiene and revised service measures to keep customers and staff safe during the pandemic. The protocols are being applied consistently and with suitable consideration for the risk level in the domestic market, and importantly, Vietnam Airlines has put in place appropriate planning for managing increased passenger volumes and handling more international customers, he said. The safety assessment programme for COVID-19 prevention and control was carried out in May and June 2021 by Skytrax experts. The assessment was applied the common global standard of passenger health and safety and the best practices of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) , the Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as the pandemic prevention policies of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating confirms excellent airport processing standards that consider all practical elements of contactless technology, customer handling, and social distancing protocols for check-in, boarding, and arrival. Skytrax, the international air transport rating organisation, was established in 1989 and is based in London. In 2020, Skytrax launched the COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating, providing independent, expert evaluation and certification of airline COVID-19 hygiene and safety measures. Despite huge impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam Airlines transported 14.13 million passengers and 195,300 tonnes of cargo in 2020, approximating the set targets. Its on-time performance stood at 90 percent. Last year’s revenue and profit were better than forecast. The consolidated revenue and the parent company’s revenue were respectively posted at 42.27 trillion VND and 33.26 trillion VND, 4.2 percent and 2.2 percent higher than expected. Meanwhile, the consolidated losses and the parent firm’s losses were lower than forecast, equivalent to 72.2 percent and 60.4 percent of the planned figures, the carrier reported. Vietnam Airlines Chairman Dang Ngoc Hoa said despite the pandemic's impacts, the airline has tapped into every opportunity to raise revenue such as by increasing flights to transport cargo, repatriate overseas Vietnamese, and carry foreign experts to the country, and opening over 20 domestic routes to seize chances created by the domestic market’s quick recovery. Its efforts, together with assistance from the Government and relevant agencies, have helped Vietnam Airlines reduce losses by nearly 5.8 trillion VND last year, Hoa added./.