Traffic gridlock on streets leading to Tan Son Nhat airport in HCM City (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - TanSon Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City has added flights andcheck-in counters to serve the increasing number of passengers during thepeak Tet holiday season (Lunar New Year).
The flight frequency of localcarriers is expected to rise by 8-10 percent between January 20 andFebruary 19 compared to the holiday period last year, with at least 800daily flights on average, according to a representative of the Tan Son NhatInternational Airport.
There will be between 806 and 820 flights per day planned for the holidayperiod, up by 70 flights from the peak Tet period last year.
Some 900 flights are expected todepart from and arrive at the Tan Son Nhat airport on February 2 and about 890flights on February 10.
Three domestic carriers, VietnamAirlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific, are adding around 4,000 extra flights.
From November 25 to February 15,Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, will add an additional 1,956flights with an expected 560,000 domestic passengers.
Low-cost carrier Vietjet willhave an additional 1,000 flights, up 20 percent from off-peak season, whileJetstar will add 1,014 flights.
To meet passenger demand, the airport will lengthen baggage conveyor belts andadd another 10 check-in counters at the domestic terminal.
[Video: Tan Son Nhat Airport expects over 4 million passengers during Tet]
From January 26 to February 12, members of the youth unions of the Tan Son NhatInternational Airport and Vietnam Aviation Academy will work as volunteers tohelp passengers with procedures and luggage during peak times.
In addition, the airport has added 800 waiting chairs for passengers atdomestic and international gates.
During peak travel times, somestores in the airport will temporarily shut down to make room for the risingnumber of passengers.
The airport will also suspendrepair and maintenance work at the facility 15 days prior to and 10 days afterthe holiday.
The airport has bought back-upequipment for the technical system and replaced broken devices, and hascompleted routine maintenance of the flight information display system, airconditioners and security cameras.
Staff in customer service, publicsecurity, security screening and check-in might be mobilised from Noi BaiInternational Airport in Hanoi (where there is less overloaded work than at TanSon Nhat) to serve the peak travel season, if necessary.
Passengers should arrive at theairport two hours prior to their departure time for domesticflights and three hours in advance for international flights, the airporthas recommended.
To ease overcrowding in publicareas in the airport, family members are advised not to accompany passengers tothe airport to see them off and not arrive too early to pick them up.
According to the AirportsCorporation of Vietnam, the airport will open an additional 37 aprons and onetaxiway before Tet, raising the total number to 83, helpingreduce traffic congestion.
Tan Son Nhat is expected tohandle more than four million passengers in the month during Tet.
According to the Customs Bureauat the Tan Son Nhat airport, the airport will serve an average of 134,200passengers a day during the holiday.
The Tan Son Nhat InternationalAirport, the country’s busiest airport, has become seriously overloaded both onthe ground and in the air, forcing many flights to wait in the air toland.
The airport has a design capacityof 25 million passengers, but the passenger throughput in 2016 was 32 millionand in 2017 more than 36 million.-VNS/VNA
VNA
