At the Noi Bai international airport (Photo: VNA) In a document sent to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam(CAAV), the ministry said that the restructuring of some airlines’ fleet andflight networks, coupled with the recall of PW1100 engines by Pratt &Whitney for repair, have affected the load on both international and domesticflight routes, causing difficulties to passengers in terms of prices andschedules.
Statistics showed that the aircraft fleet in operation in Vietnamhas been reduced by 25%, from 223 in 2023 to 173 in the first quarter of thisyear.
The request is raised in the context that the upcoming nationalholidays of South Vietnam Liberation Day on April 30 and Labour Day on May 1,and summer holidays, will push up air travel demand.
Accordingly, airlines must develop aircraft fleet operation plansto meet the demand as well as raise solutions to reduce flight cancellations ordelays and improve service quality.
The ministry asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam toenhance supervision over the air transportation services, ticket listings andsales to prevent illegal increases in air tickets. Any violations must bepromptly handled.
In addition, flight operation plans and adjustments must be madepublic so that passengers can be active with their travel plans.
Pratt & Whitney’s recall of its PW1100 engines affects severalAirbus A321 NEO operated by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, meaning that theseplanes will be grounded in 2024 and 2025.
According to Vietnam Airlines’ General Director Le Hong Ha, theshortage of aircrafts caused by engine repair and maintenance poses significantdifficulties to airlines in 2024.
The problem is that it takes up to 250-300 days for maintenance ofan engine, compared to the previous average maintenance time of 100-120 daysdue to the disruption in supply chains.
Vietnam Airlines currently operates around 60 A321, 12 of whichmust be grounded for the engine maintenance.
Other airlines are struggling with restructuring.
Starting from March 18, Pacific Airlines (part of the VietnamAirlines Group) suspends flight operations to restructure its fleet and flightnetwork in an effort to ensure operational efficiency. After returning theaircrafts to clear debt, the airline will not operate any aircraft but rentfrom Vietnam Airlines.
Bamboo Airways is also undergoing a major restructuring. It hasbeen shutting down all international flight routes and low-performing domesticroutes since the end of last year, including routes from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoito Con Dao starting from April.
Bamboo reached an agreement to terminate a lease contract on threeEmbraer E190 jets, narrow-body aircraft accommodating up to 114 passengers, bythe end of March. The aircraft fleet of Bamboo will be reduced from the peak of30 to only 8 from April 2024.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that the reduction inthe number of aircraft in operation would affect the air transport load thisyear.
The authority asked air carriers to have plans to make up for theshortage of jets, especially in peak periods such as summer holidays.
Airlines must announce adjustments of flight schedules daily andkeep passengers updated./.
VNA
