Joining forces to open new flight routes

Báo Thừa Thiên Huế•26/05/2023

Challenges

The expansion of Phu Bai International Airport from 1.5 to 5 million passengers per year creates opportunities for Hue to attract more tourists than those traveling for business or visiting relatives. The province of Thua Thien Hue and the airport operator are actively working to "fill" this 5 million passenger capacity. However, practical experience reveals numerous challenges.

First, there's the much-discussed issue of destination appeal. As analyses have shown, Phu Bai International Airport targets tourists. However, even with increased flights, new routes, and modern facilities, if the destination lacks novelty and sufficient attractiveness, achieving the set goals will be difficult. Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan, Head of the Vietnam Airlines branch office in Hue, has repeatedly emphasized that the destination and tourism appeal of the ancient capital must be further enhanced with new, high-quality, and distinctive products. This is the prerequisite for increasing flights or opening new routes.

For opening new routes, especially international ones, besides Southeast Asia, markets such as Northeast Asia, and further afield like Europe and America, currently have very strict visa requirements. South Korea, for example, has a very strict visa process. Incidents of tourists overstaying and working illegally have led to even stricter visa application procedures, with rejection rates reaching up to 50%. Important documents required for a South Korean visa include employment contracts and social insurance records. Tourists without a permanent residence in major cities need to demonstrate financial stability through a savings account with at least 100 million VND.

When opening new routes, difficulties in obtaining visas can significantly impact the sustainability of long-term flights, especially in tour development. One business cited an example: a group booked 25 seats and applied for visas for 25 passengers, but often only received results close to the departure date. If half of them are rejected, the tour budget will suffer a considerable cost overrun. Furthermore, if a passenger's visa is rejected, the airline only partially reimburses the cost; if the result is not provided, the airline will be penalized 100% of the ticket price.

Another significant challenge is the initial legal procedures when opening a new route. This process would be easier with the involvement of government agencies. However, as Mr. Tran Xuan Nam, Director of Restour Co., Ltd., shared, businesses and the Provincial Tourism Association have previously proposed to airlines the opening of charter flights to and from Malaysia, but it's not easy due to the complicated initial permit procedures. Meanwhile, maintaining the existing route is safer for businesses.

In October 2022, the Provincial Tourism Association and several businesses organized a charter flight between Hue and Thailand. However, more than seven months have passed, and the businesses have still not received the 1.1 billion VND advance payment required to organize the flight. This significant delay in payment not only creates financial difficulties but also discourages future collaborations.

A combined effort from multiple sides.

In fact, to anticipate the increase in airport capacity, the Provincial People's Committee and the tourism industry have implemented many solutions; including piloting the opening of new routes through charter flights. Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh affirmed that Thua Thien Hue's roadmap is to open charter flights, then move towards establishing commercial routes.

To concretize solutions and increase tourism to Hue, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province recently worked with Vietnam Airlines to promote domestic and international flights to and from Phu Bai International Airport. Initially, Vietnam Airlines will increase flights to and from Hue during the period commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Hue Imperial Citadel Complex and the 20th anniversary of Hue Royal Court Music being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Regarding the opening of new international routes, Vietnam Airlines stated that it will research and seek out potential tourists to Hue in order to open new routes.

It is understood that in the coming time, the Provincial People's Committee will continue working with Vietjet Air and Vietravel Airlines. According to the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Thanh Binh, the province's plan is to prioritize opening more domestic flights connecting tourist destinations from Hue to Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, or Van Don (Ha Long); and to explore sharing routes with Da Nang. At the same time, the province plans to open international routes connecting the ancient capitals of three Indochinese countries: Hue - Luang Prabang - Siem Reap (Thailand); Hue - South Korea; Hue - Japan…

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, added that besides promoting the opening of new flight routes, a solution that the Hue tourism industry and its airline partners are actively implementing is to strengthen the promotion of Hue as a destination on the media systems of airlines. In addition, the industry is in the process of working with travel agencies in the province and localities to develop plans to attract tourists to Hue.

The tourism industry is implementing a plan to organize charter flights to South Korea. Mr. Do Ngoc Co, Chairman of the Travel Association, suggested that the province should prioritize nearby markets first, especially within the ASEAN bloc, as they do not require strict visa requirements like many distant markets. In recent times, Da Nang has opened many new flight routes to various markets. This serves as a reference for Hue to research and develop a more suitable route.

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