Aside from efforts to increase the flight frequency and prepare an adequate volume of aircraft, Vietnamese carriers have closely teamed up with travel firms and their partners to resume charter flights between Vietnam and China.

China’s move to add Vietnam to its list of countries which will play host to group tours from China starting March 15 has sent good vibes to not only the tourism sector but also the aviation sector in Vietnam, said a representative of Vietravel Airlines, a Vietnamese carrier.

With its competitive edge of being under Vietravel Holdings, whose chairman is Nguyen Quoc Ky, Vietravel Airlines stays ready to serve a large number of potential customers, especially during the peak travel season in summer, the carrier’s representative added.

Vietravel Airlines and local tour operator Vietravel, another subsidiary of Vietravel Holdings, recently clinched deals with their partners to operate charter flights to and from China in the upcoming period, the representative continued.

The carrier will focus on offering air services on some routes linking major Chinese cities with Nha Trang, a beach destination in Vietnam’s south-central province of Khanh Hoa, such as Hangzhou-Cam Ranh, Changzhou-Cam Ranh, Kunming-Cam Ranh.

As for Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam’s national flag carrier, it plans to raise the number of flights to and from China and to resume services on nine out of ten routes between Vietnam and China in April this year.

Low-cost carrier Vietjet will also increase the frequency of charter flights between China and Cam Ranh City of Khanh Hoa Province to 20 by the end of this month.

Though all basic preparations are underway to welcome group tours from China, more problems would arise, including possibly disrupted flight schedules, a local airline representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

This representative explained that it was hard to ensure punctual landings and takeoffs at Chinese airports, affecting the departure and arrival of other flights like a domino effect.

Nguyen Quoc Phuong, deputy general director of Airports Corporation of Vietnam, or ACV, which operates 22 airports in Vietnam, said the number of passenger flights to and from China will be modest at the beginning.

The current frequency of flights to and from China at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City remains lower than that recorded at Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa, he added.

Apart from Vietnamese airlines, some Chinese airlines such as China Southern and Sichuan Airlines have signed deals with aviation ground service providers to welcome Chinese visitors at the Tan Son Nhat and Cam Ranh airports.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!