Vietnam Airlines is planning to resume regular international flights linking Vietnam with 15 countries and territories in the first half of 2022.

The resumption will be carried out in two phases and depend on relevant agencies’ approval.

In the first phase, scheduled to begin on January 1 next year and last for about two weeks, the national flag carrier will conduct round-trip flights between Vietnam and the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Singapore, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

Each route will have one to four flights per week, and the frequency will gradually increase basing on passengers’ demand and anti-pandemic requirements.

Meanwhile, the firm is set to reopen air routes connecting the country with the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Australia, Hong Kong (China), and Malaysia in the second phase.

Telling an online discussion on December 23, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said if the country lags behind in the resumption of international flights, it will lose chances for not only attracting tourists but also recovering other sectors, including the aviation industry.

He noted that over the last nearly two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused extremely negative impact on every aspect, with tourism and aviation are among the first to be hit hard. These two sectors are forecast to continue facing numerous difficulties in the time ahead.

The reopening of commercial international flights is an urgent need, especially in the year-end period when people, especially overseas Vietnamese, have high demand for returning to the homeland, the official added./.

VNA/VNP