Pandemic grounds 39 Vietnam aircraft

Vietnam had 39 aircraft, or over 14 percent of its fleet, grounded in the first quarter after a new Covid-19 outbreak cut travel demand.

Eighteen of the grounded aircraft belonged to national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, 14 to budget carrier Vietjet, four to Pacific Airlines and three to Bamboo Airways, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

Vietnam’s fleet of 269 aircraft is 13 more than it had last year.

The country closed the borders and canceled all international flights in March last year, allowing in only certain categories of people with stringent conditions.

Vietnamese carriers served 5.8 million passengers in the first quarter this year, down 45 percent year-on-year.