Achieving an 85% on-time performance rate, Vietnamese airlines excel in punctuality
Vietnamese airlines achieved an on-time performance (OTP) rate of 85% during the first nine months, slightly lower than the 87.8% rate recorded in the same period last year. Among the airlines, Bamboo Airways had the highest OTP at 92.4%, with 30,068 flights being on time. However, there were 2,470 delayed flights reported by Bamboo Airways, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. VASCO had an OTP rate of 92%, followed by Vietravel Airlines at 87.1%, Vietnam Airlines at 86.6%, Pacific Airlines at 14.2%, and VietJet at 81.3%.
In total, approximately 221,200 flights were operated from January to September, including 83,933 flights by VietJet, 79,234 flights by Vietnam Airlines, and 32,538 flights by Bamboo Airways. Pacific Airlines operated 16,245 flights, VASCO operated 4,734 flights, and Vietravel operated 4,513 flights. The delays were attributed to late aircraft returns, resulting in 5,622 flights not departing on time. Additionally, operational issues caused delays for 2,240 flights. During this period, 715 flights, accounting for 0.3% of the total, were canceled.
As the Lunar New Year approached, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam requested domestic carriers to submit reports on their operational plans and preparations for the upcoming peak travel period. Industry experts emphasized the need for airlines to develop realistic operation plans based on actual slot utilization to improve OTP. It was observed that some carriers sold tickets for flights that did not fully utilize their slots, leading to delays and cancellations.
Furthermore, investments in infrastructure upgrades, particularly at major airports like Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, were deemed crucial. In the first nine months of the year, Vietnamese carriers served 44.1 million passengers, a 20.3% increase compared to the same period last year. International passenger numbers saw a significant rise of 300.2% to 11.5 million, while domestic passenger numbers decreased by 3.6% to 32.6 million. The aviation industry in Vietnam is aiming for an OTP rate of nearly 90% in 2022. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, domestic passenger numbers experienced strong growth, surpassing the target with 101.3 million passengers, representing a 68.3% increase.