The Vietnamese company in charge of air traffic management reached the target of safely and effectively handling 600,000 flights in 2015 on Tuesday, while exceeding many goals set for this year.

The 600,000^th safe flight was a Vietnam Airlines service departing from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) said at the ceremony held at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the southern metropolis.

The number of safe flights in 2015 is 15 percent more than last year’s figure, VATM general director Pham Viet Dung said.

The company, under the Ministry of Transport, has also exceeded many targets set for this year, Dung added.

The VATM is expected to post VND3.66 trillion (US$163.39 million) in revenue, up 21 percent from the earning goal, whereas its pretax profit is estimated at VND589 billion ($26.29 million), 28 percent higher than targeted, the executive elaborated.

The air traffic manager is to contribute VND1.92 trillion ($85.71 million) to the state budget this year, surpassing its target by 23 percent.

The VATM is responsible for ensuring safe operations of 22 domestic routes and 34 international services for nearly 150 airlines that offer flights to and from Vietnam.

Since its foundation in 1993, the VATM has managed a total of more than 6.14 million safe flights, raking in over $1.57 billion in state revenue, Dung said.

All of the company’s air traffic controllers have acquired the Level 4 English standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), he added.

In 2013-17, Vietnam is expected to be the seventh-fastest growing market for international passengers at an annual rate of 6.9 percent, according to an industry traffic forecast by the International Air Transport Association.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat reiterated such a forecast at the ceremony, adding the VATM plays an important role in the country’s aviation growth.

“The transport ministry will create the best possible conditions in terms of mechanism and policy to facilitate aviation development, particularly in airport investment,” he said.

Vietnam currently has 22 airports, including seven international aerodromes. All of the airports have a combined capacity of nearly 70 million passengers a year.

The country is planning a $16.03 billion airport, located in the southern province of Dong Nai, which is expected to handle 100 million passengers and five million metric tons of cargo a year upon completion.

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