Lunar New Year tickets sold out quickly, airlines simultaneously added more trains and flights.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - With a 9-day holiday, travel demand during the 2026 Lunar New Year is forecast to grow by double digits. As early as October, many key routes recorded occupancy rates exceeding 80%.

Faced with the pressure of "demand exceeding supply" and a global shortage of aircraft, Vietnamese airlines are entering a race against time to add to their fleets.

Wave of early Tet ticket booking

The aviation market picture in the final months of 2025 shows a strong recovery of the economy and demand for trade and tourism. According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, in the first nine months of the year, the total passenger volume across the market is estimated at 64.1 million passengers, an increase of 10.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Of this, domestic transport reached 29 million passengers and international transport reached 14.7 million passengers.

This growth is projected to explode during the peak of the Lunar New Year holiday in 2026. The 9-day holiday (from February 14th to February 22nd, 2026) and the considerable gap between it and the Gregorian New Year create ideal conditions for people to plan trips back home and vacations .

While in previous years the "wait until the last minute" mentality was prevalent, this year, airline representatives have noted a surge in early bookings starting as early as October.

Representatives from Vietnam Airlines Group stated that they have made over 3.5 million seats available for early booking across their domestic and international flight network. Many passengers proactively booked their tickets well in advance to secure convenient flight times and reasonable prices. In particular, demand has increased rapidly on "golden routes" such as Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang.

"Many flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi during the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) have reached occupancy rates above 80%. The number of passengers leaving Ho Chi Minh City for other provinces during peak days has filled 80-90% of the seats. Similarly, the demand to return to the city after Tet also remains high at 85-90%," a representative from Vietnam Airlines informed.

Tan Son Nhat Airport is packed with people (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Similarly, Vietravel Airlines also recorded a significant number of Tet holiday tickets purchased early, starting in October, with positive revenue and passenger growth compared to the same period last year. The airline plans to offer approximately 8,000-10,000 seats on North-South routes to meet the demand for homecoming and spring travel.

Explaining why Tet holiday airfares remain consistently high, airline leaders attribute this to the unique supply and demand dynamics of the peak season, compounded by the challenging issue of "uneven flight schedules." Before Tet, flights from the South to the North are always fully booked, but the reverse (North to South) is often empty.

After the Lunar New Year, this situation reversed. Operating costs covered both directions, but actual revenue came mainly from one direction, forcing the average ticket price to be adjusted to cover expenses.

The race to acquire aircraft amid a global shortage.

The biggest challenge for the aviation industry this Lunar New Year is not just ticket prices, but the shortage of aircraft. Amidst global supply chain disruptions, acquiring new aircraft has become a major headache for all airlines.

Vietjet is demonstrating its strong resource preparation by announcing plans to add up to 22 new aircraft. This includes: 9 Boeing aircraft for Vietjet Thailand and 7 new-generation Airbus aircraft for its fleet in Vietnam.

Notably, the airline also wet-leased four aircraft to reinforce its fleet during peak periods and deployed two COMAC aircraft specifically for the Con Dao route.

On a smaller scale, Bamboo Airways is striving to restructure and get back on track. The airline has planned to increase the frequency of existing routes and, in particular, reopen niche routes with high demand during Tet (Lunar New Year) such as Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh and Thanh Hoa (1 flight/day), or Hai Phong (2 flights/day). A representative of the airline stated that they are urgently working to lease additional new aircraft ahead of the peak season to ensure sufficient flight capacity for passengers.

Meanwhile, Vietravel Airlines anticipates a 10-15% increase in passenger numbers and has therefore worked with partners to lease additional Airbus A320 aircraft, which will be put into operation from the end of October. The airline has also increased the frequency of the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route to 6 flights/day, while maintaining a minimum frequency of 2 flights/day for routes connecting to Da Nang and Phu Quoc.

The aviation market during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday is becoming even more vibrant with the entry of "newcomer" Sun PhuQuoc Airways. Despite being a newcomer to the market, this airline has quickly implemented plans to operate routes connecting Phu Quoc Island with the two major centers of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City starting from November 1st.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Quan, General Director of Sun PhuQuoc Airways, expressed optimism about market prospects: "The Vietnamese aviation market is maintaining a high growth rate globally. The government also aims to strongly promote this sector as a driver of economic and tourism development."

Although airlines plan to increase their fleet and flight frequencies during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, experts still advise passengers to book tickets early to avoid localized shortages on peak days.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/ve-tet-chay-hang-som-hang-bay-dong-loat-them-tau-them-chuyen-20251208224416051.htm