Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese airlines arefacing difficulties in proposing slot allocations at foreign airports following the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Civil Aviation Authority ofVietnam (CAAV) on July 13.
Thenational flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has lost all its take-off and landingslots in London since the outbreak.
The airline proposed a slot allocation at China’sairports but it has not yet received a nod. In India, all carriers have beenprovided 28 slots at the main airports.
Sincethe 2022 summer, the UK Department for Transport has required airlines toensure a 70% utilisation rate in order to retain their rights to theseslots at airports.
However,due to the pandemic, Vietnam Airlines is facing difficulties in maintainingthis rate. Therefore, the carrier asked the CAAV to send a letter to the UKaviation authorities, requesting support in maintaining its slots atLondon Heathrow Airport.
The CAAV said it has actively andproactively engaged in discussions with aviation authorities of variouscountries, especially China and India, to provide support and resolvedifficulties for the operations of Vietnamese airlines.
It also took advantage of international forums to meet withofficials and relevant agencies of partner countries, and propose solutions torestoring and promoting international flight operations to and from Vietnam.
To address the challenges regarding slots abroad, the CAAV proposedthe Ministry of Transport (MoT) allow the retention of slots in caseVietnamese and Chinese airlines fail to utilise their slots in the 2023 summerschedule.
Throughdiplomatic channels, the ministry suggested continuing to engage with India indiscussions regarding increasing flight frequency, towards the liberalisationof the third and fourth traffic freedom rights to the four major Indian cities.The proposal also includes incorporating this matter into the working agenda ofhigh-level Government delegations./.
