This flight carried stranded citizens at Narita Airport for the last ten days due to Japan’s entry restriction and airlines’ flight suspension to Vietnam to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The flight also transported Vietnamese who were disadvantaged and had no stable place of residence in Japan.

Vietnam Airlines cooperated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Vietnam Embassy in Japan and other Japanese authorities to repatriate 12 Vietnamese nationals on Flight VN311 from Tokyo to Hanoi (Cre: Cabin Crew).

Flight VN311 from Tokyo to Hanoi on the 12th of April is a cargo flight and only carried extra passengers in need of urgent assistance. The flight crew were equipped with personal protective gear. All passengers were required to have their body temperature checked and have their health inspected before boarding the aircraft, and wear face masks throughout the flight. After landing in Vietnam, they would be put under quarantine and have their health monitored as per regulations, and the entire aircraft, from the cockpit, passenger cabin to the cargo compartment, were thoroughly disinfected.
The competent authorities and Vietnam Airlines are closely monitoring and evaluating the situation to operate other flights to repatriate Vietnamese nationals in the coming time. Since many airlines have suspended their international flights due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnam Airlines has been collaborating with the authorities of other countries to operate flights bringing Vietnamese citizens home from Wuhan (China), Philippines, Europe, Thailand, and also repatriate German and European citizens.

Nguyen Mai Huong-COMM