Hanoi (VNA) – The recent recovery signsof domestic and international air routes stir hope of the sector for a strong rebound this year following a bad year in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam(CAAV), domestic airlines operated 126,280 flights in 2021, down 41.7 percentyear-on-year, and nearly 60 percent from the pre-pandemic number.

International regular flights had been completelyfrozen since the first wave of the pandemic, except flights bringing homeoverseas Vietnamese or those carrying foreign experts.

The General Statistics Office (GSO) under theMinistry of Planning and Investment said Vietnam welcomed only 111,100 international arrivals by airlast year, a drop of 96.4 percent from the previous year.

Pham Viet Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam AviationBusiness Association (VABA), said Vietnamese airlines experienced decreases of 80-90percent in revenues. 

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines reportedan accumulative loss of 21.2 trillion VND (934.7 million USD) as of the end ofthe third quarter last year.

However, a representative from Vietnam Airlines,said the carrier’s market share and revenue from cargo transport still took thelead in Southeast Asia, reaching some 8 trillion VND in the year, up 60 percentfrom 2020.

The carrier will continue to focus on cargotransport, aiming to establish a cargo carrier in the time ahead, therepresentative said.

Meanwhile, new-generation airline Vietjet reported arise of 36.4 percent in revenue despite successive pandemic impacts, becoming asilver lining of the whole sector.  

During the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, passengers going through Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City increasedsharply, surpassing 100,000 on February 6 - the sixth day of the Lunar NewYear.

On February 3, Noi Bai International Airport inHanoi also served 34,000 passengers.

In December 2021 when international flights wereresumed, the number of international visitors to Vietnam expanded by 14.2percent from the previous month.

Experts said the Vietnamese aviation sector has surmountedthe deepest point of the crisis. Domestic transport would recover to some 70-75percent of pre-pandemic levels, while international transport would reach 25percent. The figures are expected to rise higher in the last quarter of thisyear.

Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Hasuggested further upgrading infrastructure and speeding up the implementationof major projects like Long Thanh Airport to ensure sustainable recovery anddevelopment of the sector./.