What did the Minister say when National Assembly delegates were upset about delayed and canceled flights?

(Dan Tri) - Faced with the reality of many flight delays and cancellations but the compensation for customers is not satisfactory, many National Assembly delegates have proposed specific regulations on this matter.

Discussing the Draft Law on Civil Aviation Amendments discussed by the National Assembly in the morning group on October 22, many National Assembly deputies wanted to clarify the responsibility of airlines to customers when flights are delayed or canceled.

According to Vice Chairwoman of the Law and Justice Committee Nguyen Thi Thuy, the draft law has two-way regulations on compensation for damages.

Firstly, the carrier (related to airlines) must compensate passengers and goods during transportation.

Vice Chairwoman of the Committee on Law and Justice Nguyen Thi Thuy (Photo: Hong Phong).

The second dimension stipulates that passengers must compensate in case of causing damage to the carrier (airline).

Reading the draft, the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Law and Justice said that the provision "customers must compensate" is concise but very complete, while the provision "airlines must compensate" has many provisions but is still insufficient and unclear.

Article 53 of the draft law stipulates that in case of flight delay, cancellation or postponement, the carrier must ensure meals, accommodation and bear directly related costs appropriate to the waiting time at the airport. However, according to Ms. Thuy, this is only a regulation, but in reality it is very difficult to implement and "very few people receive it". Therefore, it is necessary to stipulate more specifically in the law so that this content is feasible in practice.

Delegate Nguyen Thanh Cam (Culture and Social Affairs Committee) also reported that many passengers used aviation services with expensive airfares, but still experienced delays and cancellations. Afterwards, customers only received an apology from the airline or the captain. This is not satisfactory.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thanh Cam (Photo: Hong Phong).

“Flight delays and cancellations due to weather and objective conditions are understandable, but if they are due to subjective management, operation, and exploitation of flights, there must be a satisfactory compensation mechanism,” the female delegate expressed her opinion and proposed more specific regulations on compensation for customers in this case.

The issue of airlines frequently operating at incorrect times was also raised by National Assembly delegate Tran Cong Phan (HCMC) at the group discussion session.

“The delay is 1-2 hours, even half a day, but passengers only receive an apology, or even a later notice,” Mr. Phan said.

Claiming that airlines cannot use the excuse of “operational reasons, delayed aircraft arrival” as this is a subjective factor, Mr. Phan emphasized that carriers must have a commitment and be responsible for passengers.

National Assembly delegate Pham Van Hoa of Dong Thap province also reported that flight delays happen frequently, even with airlines that are not low-cost carriers. Notably, according to Mr. Hoa, the reasons given by airlines for flight delays are often difficult to accept, such as due to operations, not force majeure.

Considering that the regulations on passenger compensation in the law are still quite general, Mr. Hoa proposed to have specific and clear regulations on the level of compensation for passengers in these cases.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh (Photo: Hong Phong).

In response to concerns from many delegates about flight delays and cancellations, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh said that Long Thanh airport is being built with the goal of avoiding delays and flight cancellations and attracting international passengers.

Regarding the reason for the delays and cancellations, according to the Minister, it is because the airport “has not yet met international standards”. He said that to meet international standards, the airport must have a runway and a landing runway, with a minimum distance of 1,350m.

"With the above standards, only Long Thanh airport can do it. If Tan Son Nhat airport does it, it will have to clear the area to Cong Hoa intersection, requiring a huge investment of resources," said Minister Tran Hong Minh.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/bo-truong-noi-gi-khi-dai-bieu-quoc-hoi-buc-xuc-ve-cham-huy-chuyen-bay-20251022143028375.htm