A Tien Phong Newspaper survey showed that air ticket prices had soared again in July after easing in June. On July 16, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet's economy airfares on the routes connecting Hanoi and tourist destinations of Danang, Nha Trang, Con Dao, Phu Quoc, and Can Tho all increased by between VND500,000-2 million per ticket on June's prices.
A one-way economy ticket on the Hanoi-Phu Quoc route between July 16 and August 31 now costs between VND3.2-3.8 million, up between VND800,000 and 1.5 million from late June. A ticket for the Hanoi-Danang route has risen to between VND3.4-4.4 million, up by VND1 million from last month's prices.
The Hanoi-Con Dao route saw the highest price hike due to high demand. There have been no tickets left on this route for flights from July 16 until the end of September on abay.vn, while on traveloka.com, there are just some tickets left with prices ranging from VND3.4-5.2 million each for one-way, up by VND1.1-2.3 million from two weeks earlier.
According to the World Travel Company, rising travel demand during the peak summer holiday season has driven up air ticket prices, which may continue until the end of August.
"The airfare price hike has resulted in the rise of tour prices by 10-20 percent, the company said. "And we're seeing a fall of 20 percent in the number of customers booking domestic tours."
Despite facing a severe aircraft shortage, Vietnamese airlines are still trying to increase frequencies or open more routes to serve the peak summer holiday season.
On June 25, Bamboo Airways received another Airbus A320 from Royal Air Philippines under a wet lease contract. During the summer holiday, the aircraft will increase flights to popular tourist destinations like Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Quy Nhon.
This is the third wet lease aircraft Bamboo Airways has received this year. Two others were used during the Tet Lunar New Year holiday travel season.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, local airlines currently have only 160 operational aircraft, a drop of 60-70 planes compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing a recent workshop, Bamboo Airways CEO Luong Hoai Nam emphasised that domestic airfares can only fall if local airlines own more aircraft.
Nam shared that Bamboo Airways plans to lease one more aircraft by the end of the year to open additional domestic routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat, Thanh Hoa and Phu Quoc.
Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, has also received its first Airbus A320neo as part of a scheme to meet demand during the summer peak season.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, local airlines served some 38.10 million passengers in the first half of this year, up 6.7 percent on-year. While international passengers rose by over 44 percent to 21 million, domestic passengers decreased by over 19 percent to just 17 million.
