Vietnam Airlines will halt all of its international flights until the end of April, the national carrier said on Thursday.
The airline will suspend flights to and from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar from Saturday.
Services to and from the UK and Japan will cease next Monday.
Flights to Germany and Australia will stop on Tuesday next week while services from there to Vietnam will halt one day later..
Vietnam Airlines has already suspended flights between Vietnam and mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, France, Russia, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
The flag carrier cited COVID-19 and many countries’ closing their borders as the reasons for the suspension, which will be in place until the end of April 30.
Affected passengers will be allowed to change their flight schedule without paying any fee or being subject to any condition if they have their tickets issued before March 25, the airline said.
Vietnam requires that arrivals from countries where there is a major COVID-19 outbreak and from the U.S., European countries, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) be sent to quarantine camps for 14 days – the incubation period of the novel coronavirus.
The Southeast Asian country has confirmed 76 COVID-19 cases so far, with 16 having fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
Among the cases being treated, 22 are foreigners, including 13 Britons, one Irishman, two Germans, one from the Czech Republic, one Latvian, one U.S. citizen, and three French nationals.
Vietnam treats locals for free while charging foreign patients a fee for their treatment, though they are exempt from testing and isolation expenses.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!