Figures from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) show that passenger numbers through airports reached 7.2 million in October, down 11.6 per cent compared to September and 23.3 per cent compared to October 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

International visitors stood at 1.3 million, down 1.4 per cent compared to September and a whopping 61.8 per cent compared to October 2019. Domestic tourists, meanwhile, totaled 5.8 million, down 13.6 per cent compared to September and just 0.8 per cent compared to October 2019.

Vietnamese airlines transported 3.5 million passengers in October, down 11.7 per cent compared to September and 19.8 per cent compared to October 2019. Domestic tourists totaled 2.9 million, down 13.6 per cent compared to September and 0.8 per cent compared to October 2019. International visitors reached 614,000 visitors, down 1.2 per cent compared to September and a massive 59.1 per cent compared to October 2019.

In explaining the decline in passenger numbers, the CAAV said the air transport market has entered the low season, which generally lasts until the end of December and only improves during the peak of the Tet holiday, in January or February.

“It is forecast that, in 2022, the total number of passengers passing through Vietnam’s airports will reach 100 million, compared to 120 million in 2019,” the CAAV said. “Vietnamese airlines carried 40 million passengers in the first ten months of this year, and the total for the year is expected to reach 55 million.”