Inside special plane to repatriate Vietnamese from Equatorial Guinea

All the seats on the Airbus A350 aircraft, which carries crew members, medical staff, and health equipment from Hanoi to Bata city, are fully covered with plastic. Inserted on their backs are five alcohol wet wipes, one garbage bag, and a guide for passengers. It was the 41st flight conducted by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to bring Vietnamese people home from different parts of the world. It was the first time, however, that the airline had to do so while also dealing with a large number of infections, as many of the passengers are thought to be carrying COVID-19. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The entire passenger section is divided into three parts. In early July, after learning of the spread of the coronavirus among Vietnamese workers at the Sendje hydropower project in Equatorial Guinea, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 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 becoming serious with a high rate of infection and getting out of control of companies, the ministry proposed to the Prime Minister the organisation of a flight to bring all the workers home. The flight was to protect the legitimate rights and interest of the workers and manifest the humanitarian policy of the Party and State. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A medical stretcher is installed on the plane in preparation for emergency situations that might arise. The 300-seat aircraft has to carry 120 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, hence a very high risk of virus transmission. The small space and differential pressures might cause the patients to have respiratory failure during the flight. If the problem occurs, first aid to save them will be way harder than being performed on the ground. A working group of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, consisting of two doctors and two nurses equipped with all needed medicines and machines for emergency situations, will also be on board. They are set to sit on the same cabin with the patients throughout the 13-hour returning flight from Bata to Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Parts of the passenger sections are separated by PVC curtains. It takes a total of 37 hours to fly from Noi Bai to Bata and back. The flight is unprecedented as the rate of COVID-19 patients aboard was over 50 percent of the total passengers. With its experience in repatriating Vietnamese citizens from unstable places such as Libya in 2011 and 2014 or Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Vietnam Airlines worked with relevant ministries and sectors such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health on preparations and on having suspected cases of infection on board. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The cabin for economy passengers is divided into two parts. The first part is for passengers in normal health conditions, while the other is for the COVID-19 patients. According to Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Van Thanh, a total of 16 of the 219 Vietnamese labourers in the host country tested positive for the coronavirus virus and 20 were suspected to contract the disease in late June. They have been quarantined and treated in line with local regulations. The number of infections among the Vietnamese guest workers rose significantly to 112 in early July. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

There will be one or two positive-airway-pressure chambers installed on the plane, serving the crewmembers and doctors abroad when they need to eat or drink. The flight is very different from the one from Wuhan months ago. The flight from Wuhan lasted only four hours and its passengers were yet to test positive for the virus, thus they could stop eating and using the toilet to prevent infections. Meanwhile, this flight lasts for 13 hours. A positive-airway-pressure chamber offering clean air has been designed to provide a safe environment for crewmembers to eat and drink, one person each time. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The economy passenger cabin, particularly its buffer zone, is also equipped with the positive-airway-pressure chamber. The design is hoped to reduce the risk of transmission. All medical equipment abroad is placed at the buffer zone. The high rate of COVID-19 patients coupled with small space on the plane requires the engagement of veteran medical workers who are experienced in dealing with emergency situations and difficult techniques. The aircraft is scheduled to stay at the Bata Airport for about two hours before returning home. The returning flight is due to arrive in Vietnam on July 29 afternoon. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Crewmembers of the special flight. Dang Anh Tuan, head of the national flag carrier’s Communications and Branding Department, said right from the early days of the first outbreak, Vietnam Airlines has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Government and people everywhere and every time. Despite facing a high risk of infection, its staff have been willing to put themselves on the frontlines of the national fight against the pandemic, Tuan said, adding that more than 130 employees, including pilots, flight attendants, technicians, and ground staff, voluntarily agreed to be part of the flight and this is truly touching. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A meeting to prepare the procedure for repatriate the Vietnamese workers from Equatorial Guinea. Vietnam Airlines had prepared for a month for the special flight, with dozens of meetings held to discuss every detail, under the direction of the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and the Ministry of Transport. To deal with every arising circumstance, the carrier decided to choose the most experienced crew members, with the captain previously flying to Libya to rescue Vietnamese workers. The Vietnam Airlines crew on the flight consists of five pilots, eight male flight attendants, and two ground technicians. (Photo: VietnamPlus)