Vu Linh (L), aircraft maintenance engineer of the Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO) (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) - A flight of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines left the Noi Bai International Airport at 7:45 am on July 28 for the Bata Airport in Equatorial Guinea to repatriate 219 stranded Vietnamese workers.
While he has participated in various unusual flights in his life, like those carrying high-ranking Government officials or footballers of the national team, Vu Linh, an aircraft maintenance engineer of the Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO), has never been part of such a special flight. It is special for its destination, which is facing a COVID-19 outbreak, and for its more than 200 passengers who are stranded, with many infected with the novel coronavirus.
Ready to go when needed
Linh, selected among several VAECO staff who volunteered to be part of the over-30-hour journey, brought clothes, a number of favourite books and a national flag as his necessities for the 14-day quarantine after the flight.
“If it is not me, it will be my colleagues. I cannot be selfish and avoid the mission. To me, [joining the flight] is a responsibility and pride, so I go without hesitation,” Linh said. Whenever Vietnamese citizens want to go home, Vietnam Airlines staff are ready to go, he added.
This is the first time in his 14 years of working as an engineer that Linh has been aboard a flight repatriating Vietnamese citizen from a disease-hit area. The engineer said he is nervous but determined as he has the support of his family.
“If you ask me if I am terrified, the answer is no. But I do worry a bit as it is not easy going to a pandemic hotspot. However, all crewmembers want to complete the task and have a responsibility to get their fellow countrymen home,” he said.
To prepare for the flight, VAECO has selected the best aircraft and gathered relevant equipment appropriate to Equatorial Guinea, which is far away and has a special airport.
“After landing at the Bata airport, the plane will stay here for three hours to complete all needed procedures related to technical and disease prevention issues,” Linh noted.
The longest vacation in years
Vietnam Airlines has always been at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19, with its staff willing to be quarantined at any time.
Linh said repatriation flights operated by the airline were carried out in the ‘no one left behind’ spirit.
A special air purified room on the flight for crewmembers and medical staff to eat and drink during the journey (Photo: VietnamPlus). “This is not a rough flight, but a journey filled with challenges and pride. It is a meaningful experience for an aircraft maintenance engineer like me,” Linh said.
Linh said many of his colleagues consider the quarantine after being back “a long vacation” for them to relax and have time to review their work and life./.
| The Vietnam Airlines crew on the flight consists of five pilots, eight male flight attendants, and two ground technicians. They are joined by two doctors and two caregivers from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. The plane is divided into three sections, with people tested positive for the virus seated in a separated section. All passengers wear protective suits throughout the flight. |
| In early July, after learning about the spread of the coronavirus among Vietnamese workers at the Sendje hydropower project, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs asked the Foreign Ministry and the Vietnamese Embassy in Angola and Equatorial Guinea as well as the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control to support businesses to bring the workers home. Recognising that the pandemic was spreading with a high rate of infection and moving beyond the control of companies, the ministry proposed the Prime Minister organise a flight to bring all the workers home. The flight is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the workers and manifest the humanitarian policy of the Party and State. Shortly after, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested an immediate flight to repatriate the Vietnamese citizens from Equatorial Guinea and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad to do their best to care for all Vietnamese citizens abroad. |
