Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City received 857 flights with over 137,000 passengers on board on Wednesday, the fourth day of this lunar year, the highest-ever number of passengers in a day, according to the Southern Airports Authority.

The figures are forecast to increase to nearly 144,900 and 931, respectively, on Thursday as people are heading back to the city after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

A leader of an aviation firm told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the frequency of flights has bounced back since Wednesday.

Da Nang International Airport in the namesake central province and Cam Ranh International Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province have seen a high number of departing passengers, while Tan Son Nhat International Airport has served an influx of arriving passengers.

The number of passengers flying from Ho Chi Minh City to other provinces has been also large.

Da Nang International Airport in the namesake central city is packed with passengers on the first days of this lunar year. Photo: Tieu Vy / Tuoi Tre

According to a leader of the Southern Airports Authority, despite a spike in the number of air passengers, it has been smooth sailing at the metropolis’ airport.

The airport authority asked air carriers and ground service providers to prevent an overload at conveyor belts.

After Tet, most of flights reached a seat occupancy rate of over 90 percent. Many flights were even fully occupied.

As a result, it is unavoidable that thousands of passengers will disembark from aircraft at a same time, putting pressure on passenger terminals.

In other overcrowded airports, such as Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Chu Lai in central Quang Nam Province, and Vinh in north-central Nghe An Province, the number of passengers also rocketed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Aviation service providers have enhanced resources to maximize their capacity from the fourth to the 10th days of this lunar year.

“These days, an influx of passengers from northern and central provinces have returned to Ho Chi Minh City. Passengers should take the initiative in taking luggage and seeking pick-up services to prevent long waiting time,” a leader of an aviation service provider informed.

Passengers crowd check-in desks of Vietravel Airlines. Photo: Tieu Vy / Tuoi Tre

Passengers return to southern localities. Photo: Duy Dung / Tuoi Tre

Passengers complete procedures to board aircraft at Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam. Despite crowds of passengers, it has been all smooth sailing at the airport. Photo: Duy Dung / Tuoi Tre

Passengers queue up to take luggage carts at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thanh Thanh / Tuoi Tre

Ground service employees hold a board with flight information to facilitate passengers. Photo: Thanh Thanh / Tuoi Tre

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