The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said on March 12 that airlines from the region were adjusting schedules due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Qatar Airways will cancel 19 passenger flights on routes linking Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi with Doha between March 13 and 16, affecting more than 4,100 passengers.
Each day during the period, the airline will suspend three flights, QR975, QR970 and QR971, on the Ho Chi Minh City-Doha route. Seven flights on the Hanoi-Doha route will also be cancelled.
To assist affected travellers, the airline plans to operate non-scheduled flights on the Hanoi-Paris-Hanoi route on March 13 and 14, carrying nearly 400 passengers.
Meanwhile, Emirates will continue suspending the EK364/EK365 flights between Dubai and Ho Chi Minh City until March 15, affecting nearly 2,000 passengers. Other services between Dubai and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang are still operating as scheduled.
Etihad Airways plans to maintain flights between Hanoi and Abu Dhabi from March 14 to 18, with around 500 passengers transported daily, while cargo services remain unaffected.
According to the Vietnamese aviation authority, the conflict has also triggered strong volatility in aviation fuel markets.
In a worst-case scenario, if conflict disrupts roughly 15 million barrels of oil supply per day from the Gulf region, global oil prices could surge to around USD 150 per barrel, significantly increasing aviation fuel costs.
In the short term, the aviation authority forecasts jet fuel prices could fluctuate in line with crude oil between USD 75 and USD 105 per barrel, depending on geopolitical developments and the extent of supply disruptions in the Middle East.