In preparation for this flight, the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, VNA, Noi Bai International Airport, and other related authorities coordinated very closely to ensure that flight operations, flight safety, disease prevention standards, and quarantine capacity were all optimally met and conducted.

Aircraft landed in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)

Mr. Vo Huy Cuong – Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, said: “This is not only the first international commercial flight to Vietnam after COVID-19 but also a ‘trial flight’ to evaluate our operational capability of welcoming international visitors by way of our local aviation industry. The flight met stringent pandemic prevention standards, affirming our ability to coordinate and operate effectively between aviation units as well as other medical, quarantine units, and competent authorities. This flight also denotes a substantial recovery for Vietnamese aviation, realizing the Government’s dual goals of fighting the pandemic and promoting economic development, embracing the new normal with more development opportunities.”

Deputy Minister of Tranport Le Anh Tuan inspected at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA)

Flight VN417 on the Seoul – Hanoi route was operated by an Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft, carrying Vietnamese citizens and Koreans professionals and investors. Passengers were required to meet certain conditions, such as producing a negative SARS-CoV-2 certificate according to the Realtime PCR method within 03 days before departure, confirming their location of quarantine in Vietnam, installing a mobile phone tracking app, and completing relevant medical reports…

The number of passengers on the flight was 104 people, including 15 foreign and 89 Vietnamese passengers. Among them, there are 03 guests under 2 years old. (Photo: VNA)

Passengers have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam after the flight. Any passengers testing positive are to be transferred to a quarantine facility as per regulations. Passengers will otherwise be quarantined at the registered hotels and retested on the 6th day after entry or as soon as any symptoms of possible of infection arise. Pending a second negative test result, passengers will be allowed to relocate to their place of residence and undergo self-quarantine for 14 days, adhering to anti-pandemic measures as required.

Passengers going through immigration process at Noi Bai Airport. (Photo: VNA)

After returning to Vietnam, crew members are given health checks and quarantined as per regulations. The entire aircraft is to be disinfected, including the passenger compartment and cockpit, in accordance with international standards.

Previously, on the morning of September 25, VNA’ VN416 flew from Hanoi to Seoul. Following six months of suspension, the resumption of international commercial routes, such as this one, serves to meet the increasing travel needs of passengers. This affirms the airline’s commitment to quickly and safely restoring international routes as the COVID-19 pandemic situation permits.

VNA plans to resume flights between Vietnam and China, Taiwan (China), Laos, and Cambodia, as soon as approval is granted by the Government and authorities.

Nguyen Mai Anh – COMM