Once the busiest airport in Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City has become almost deserted as passenger volumes nosedived due to flight restrictions.

The inner-city airdrome received 550 to 720 flights and 85,000 to 109,000 passengers every day before and during the national public holidays in celebration of the Reunification Day (April 30) and the International Labor Day (May 1) this year, one of its leaders told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

In contrast, it handled fewer than 200 flights, including 37 to 59 domestic trips, and 3,000 passengers a day between Monday and Thursday this week.

Not only Tan Son Nhat International Airport, new traffic figures showed a decline of up to 80 percent in throughput at airports across the country since the end of May, when Ho Chi Minh City went into social distancing, compared to those in March and April.

The poor results have been attributed to the suspension of flights between the southern metropolis and several provinces and cities in response to the coronavirus pandemic’s new wave.

The decrease of throughput even climbed to approximately 95 percent in the first two weeks of June.

A man is spotted inside a V.I.P lobby at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese airlines have also been in the same situation, if not worse.

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways have incurred eye-popping short-term and due debts of about VND36 trillion (US$1.56 billion) since the pandemic first broke out in the country early last year, according to the Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA).

Their revenues in May and June plummeted 90 percent from the same period last year.

The Civil Aviation Authorities of Vietnam (CAAV) has put hopes on the vaccination progress and herd immunity for a start of a recovery in the remainder of this year.

It expects the number of passengers that pass security checkpoints at airports across the country to exceed 70 million from the middle of the third quarter.

An empty terminal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

Passengers perform health declaration at a Vietnam Airlines desk at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

A group of passengers wear protective gears from top to toe at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

The empty arrival hall at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

Empty Bamboo Airways check-in counters at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

A woman walks past an empty Vietjet Air check-in counter at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam Airlines aircrafts stand idle at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

An empty terminal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

Lanes for private vehicles to pick up passengers remain empty at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

An outdoor lounge at a café at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, July 1, 2021. Photo: C. Trung / Tuoi Tre

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