The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on March 1 issued an urgent official dispatch to domestic and foreign airlines operating in Vietnam, the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM), the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), international airports, and relevant agencies regarding the implementation of safety measures in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The VATM has been directed to proactively develop air traffic control solutions, particularly for flights requiring schedule adjustments due to the conflict. It is responsible for providing accurate and timely information to airlines and relevant units to ensure safe flight operations.
The CAAV requested both domestic and foreign airlines with routes to, from, or through the affected regions to closely monitor and stay updated on the military conflict in the Middle East, with a specific focus on Iran and countries that have closed their airspace.
Airlines must proactively assess potential risks and the level of impact on international routes, especially the Europe-Asia corridors. At the same time, they are required to fully update safety warnings and information from international aviation authorities, as well as from IATA, ICAO, EASA, and other official sources.
Based on these assessments, carriers are expected to promptly adjust their operating plans and flight schemes, selecting safe alternative air routes to avoid closed or high-risk airspace and ensuring that aircraft do not transit through conflict zones.
The CAAV has also instructed airlines to provide prompt and comprehensive information to passengers regarding flight schedule changes caused by the military conflict. Carriers are required to strictly fulfill their legal obligations to passengers, providing support, updated flight schedules, and clear explanations to minimize inconvenience. Furthermore, airlines operating to and from Vietnam must report to and coordinate closely with the CAAV when adjusting their operational plans.
Currently, Vietnamese airlines do not operate direct routes to Iran or other Middle Eastern countries. While Vietnam Airlines operates several flights between Vietnam and Europe, the national carrier stated that these routes remain well away from the conflict zones.
A number of international carriers, such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, had to cancel flights from Vietnam to the Middle East. According to the CAAV, due to the impact of the military conflict and resulting airspace closures, two aircraft—one from Qatar Airways (QR) and one from Emirates (EK)—are currently grounded at Noi Bai International Airport, unable to return to their home bases.
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