Aviation industry asked for greater development

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai requested Vietnam's aviation industry to create breakthroughs in building and upgrading airports in a bid to name it in the top four in ASEAN.

Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 10 to look back the development of the sector over the last 60 years, the Deputy PM said the industry made crucial contributions to the national construction and development.

He praised efforts of the sector in ensuring flight safety and security, especially preventing serious accidents and problems from happening, stressing that this is vital for both the sector and the nation.

The industry needs to continue promote its gained achievements and overcome shortcomings and limitations to perfect itself in the coming time, Hai said.

He asked the sector to concentrate on reviewing and adjusting plans, bettering transport-related law and policy system, accelerating restructuring, and mobilising extra-budgetary resources in order to promote its development in the future.

Together with developing a young and modern fleet, the sector should reduce airfares, improve service quality and international competitive capacity and expand domestic and international routes, he noted.

In addition to its business development task, the Vietnam civil aviation industry needs to ensure its role as a reserve force for national defence and national sovereignty protection, he added.

General Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Lai Xuan Thanh reported that the industry has gained strong growth in recent years, transporting 40.1 million passengers and 741,000 tonnes of cargo by 2015, up 13.7 percent and 10 percent a year, respectively.

The country’s airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Jestar Pacific Airlines, Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) and VietJet Air boast 125 aircraft operating on 48 domestic routes. Together with 52 foreign airlines, they are running 95 international routes.
Vietnamese carriers account for 47.9 percent and 11.6 percent of market shares of international passenger and cargo transport.

The sector earmarked around 55 trillion VND (2.475 billion USD) for building and upgrading airport infrastructure, equivalent to 38.5 percent of the sector’s total investment.

The move has helped meet the development demand of domestic and international aviation transport markets, remarkably contributing to ensuring national defence-security and economic development, and increasing the position of the Vietnamese aviation industry in the international arena, Thanh stressed.

Regarding international integration, the industry signed 67 bilateral agreements on aviation transport and six multilateral ones, while actively joining in the ASEAN aviation market .

It also strictly obeys international regulations and meets all requirements of the international Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan granted the Labour Order, first class, to the CAAV.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam was established on January 15, 1956 under Decree No.666/TTg by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, laying a foundation for sustainable development of the sector.-VNA