The number of passengers being refused entry at airports across the country has increased sharply, reported the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA).

According to the aviation statistics, the number of international passengers arriving in Vietnam who were denied entry at airports across the country were 886 and 600 in 2023 and in the first half of 2024, respectively, as compared to 404 in 2020 (when the country closed up its border in response to COVID-19 pandemic).

To limit the situation, CAA has just issued a document to airlines operating regular international flights to Vietnam on managing air travel documents for passengers entering and in transit.

“The increase in cases of passengers being refused entry causes losses to carriers, puts pressure on airports and poses potential risks of security, safety, and order at airports and on planes," a leader of CAA said.

Airlines should take effective measures to minimise the number of international passengers being refused entry to Vietnam at airports, he said.

CAA also noted that aircraft operators must take necessary precautions when boarding passengers to guarantee that passengers have all the correct documents required by the transit and arriving countries, as well as promptly update passengers of Vietnamese and international regulations on entry, exit, and transit.

The agency requests that the authorities and competent forces where the plane departs strictly control passengers' documents to minimise cases of ineligibility for entry or transit Vietnam due to airline travel documents.

In addition, airlines need to disseminate information in many forms to airline passengers and relevant travel companies about regulations on airline travel documents.