Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam Airlines on June 29 operated a special flight transporting search-and-rescue and humanitarian assistance teams, equipment and relief supplies to Venezuela to support recovery efforts following the recent devastating earthquakes in the South American nation.
Flight VN66, using Airbus A350 aircraft, departed from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 00:45 am on June 29. After a technical stop at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, the flight continued its journey and is scheduled to arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela, at 12:10 pm local time on the same day.
The flight is carrying 124 personnel from the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security, along with 10 search-and-rescue dogs and approximately 25 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, specialised equipment and rescue gear to support relief operations in the earthquake-affected areas.
To ensure the timely deployment of the mission, Vietnam Airlines mobilised extensive resources, including ground service personnel and a dedicated flight crew of 23 members. The national flag carrier also completed logistical preparations and flight clearance procedures within a short timeframe to meet the urgent requirements of the mission.
A representative of Vietnam Airlines said each special flight demonstrates the carrier’s organisational capacity, sense of responsibility and commitment to serving the nation and the people, as well as its readiness to undertake international missions under both normal and extraordinary circumstances.
The airline noted that the allocation of aircraft and operational resources for the special mission may affect schedules on some regular routes in the coming days, potentially resulting in flight time adjustments or aircraft substitutions. It pledged to provide timely updates and assistance for passengers, ensure all customer rights and benefits are protected in accordance with regulations, and minimise any inconvenience caused by operational changes.
The carrier previously undertaken a number of important humanitarian and evacuation missions. Most recently, it transported relief supplies to Myanmar and repatriated Vietnamese rescue personnel after they completed earthquake-response operations there in 2025. Earlier missions included evacuation flights for Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine in 2022, the transportation of Vietnamese workers from Libya in 2011 and 2014, and support for Vietnamese nationals in Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011./.
VNA
