Thanh Hoa proposes airlines to reopen flights to Tho Xuan

On November 20, information from the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province said that in 2023, the number of passengers passing through Tho Xuan Airport is expected to reach only 1.2 million, a decrease of 25% compared to 2022.

Đường bay từ Cảng hàng không Thọ Xuân ngày càng 'teo tóp' - Ảnh 1. — From 9 routes, airlines now only maintain 1 route Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City.

The reason is that many airlines have cut flights from Thanh Hoa to other provinces and cities.

According to the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province, Tho Xuan Airport was put into operation in February 2013. Initially, only Vietnam Airlines operated 5 flights/week on the Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City route.

In the following years, VietJet Air, Pacific Airline, and Bamboo Airways successively operated flights from Thanh Hoa to Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa), Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak), Da Lat City (Lam Dong), Phu Quoc City (Kien Giang), and Con Dao District (Ba Ria - Vung Tau), bringing the total number of flights from Thanh Hoa to other places to 9.

However, up to now, only Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air operate the Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City route, with a frequency of 8 - 10 flights/day. Pacific Airline only operates flights during the 2023 Lunar New Year. Bamboo Airways temporarily suspended operations at the end of October, and has only resumed operations on the Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City route since mid-November, with a frequency of 3 flights/week.

Đường bay từ Cảng hàng không Thọ Xuân ngày càng 'teo tóp' - Ảnh 2. — Bamboo Airways has just resumed flying from Thanh Hoa.

The fact that many airlines have cut both the number of flights and routes has caused the number of passengers passing through Tho Xuan Airport to decrease significantly. If in 2022 the number of passengers passing through Tho Xuan Airport was 1.21 million, then in the first 10 months of 2023 there were only 1.06 million; and it is expected that in 2023 there will be only 1.2 million passengers, a decrease of about 25% compared to 2022.

Faced with the situation of increasingly decreasing flights and routes at the airport, on November 17, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province sent a document to Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Pacific Airline, and Bamboo Airways to request these airlines to restore and increase the frequency of flights from Tho Xuan airport to domestic airports.

Đường bay từ Cảng hàng không Thọ Xuân ngày càng 'teo tóp' - Ảnh 3. — Thanh Hoa province is coordinating with the Ministry of Transport to invest in runway number 2 of Tho Xuan Airport.

According to the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province, from now until before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2024, the travel demand of people in Thanh Hoa province and neighboring provinces is increasing, so it is recommended that airlines restore the suspended routes, including: Thanh Hoa - Can Tho, Thanh Hoa - Nha Trang, Thanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot, Thanh Hoa - Da Lat, Thanh Hoa - Phu Quoc. At the same time, increase the number of flights on the Thanh Hoa - Ho Chi Minh City route; arrange night flights; and minimize flight delays and cancellations.

In another development, recently, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed to let Thanh Hoa province coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to invest in and build runway number 2 of Tho Xuan Airport to overcome the shortcomings in aviation infrastructure of Tho Xuan Airport.

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