HANOI : Vietnam International Aviation Expo (VIEA) opened on Thursday (Sept 15) in Hanoi with an aim to promote cooperation opportunities for post-pandemic sustainable development of the aviation industry.

The three-day expo themed “Sustainable growth for a brighter future” attracted the participation of more than 50 international and domestic enterprises, including manufacturers, training schools and airlines.

Deputy Miniter of Transport Le Anh Tuan said that the event marked the strong recovery of Vietnam’s aviation industry after the Covid-19 pandemic. The expo provided opportunities to promote exchanges and cooperation as well as enhance the image and linkage of Vietnam’s aviation industry to the world.

Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam Ho Minh Tan said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s aviation industry was considered to have the fastest recovery speed in the world with a strong increase in domestic aviation operation.

Statistics showed that the aviation market received 23.3 million passengers in the first half of this year, an increase of more than 74.2 per cent over the same period last year and equivalent to 60 per cent of the same period in 2019.

The domestic passengers totalled 20.8 million, up 58.4 per cent and 12 per cent against the same period in 2021 and 2019, respectively.

Vietnamese carriers were operating 60 domestic routes. The number of passengers through airports in Vietnam reached 40.7 million, a year-on-year increase of 56.8 per cent.

The total supply capacity of Vietnamese airlines was 6.5 million seats, ranking second in South-East Asia after Indonesia.

The aviation industry of Vietnam was expected to have great potential for strong growth. The International Air Transport Aviation (IATA) forecast that Vietnam would be the fifth fastest-growing aviation market in the world, reaching 150 million passengers, by 2035.

IATA predicted that the world aviation market would recover beyond pre-pandemic levels in early 2024 with a total of 4 billion passengers.

Airlines were gradually reoperating all routes and increasing the frequency to serve the increasing demand together with upgrading operations to bring safe and convenient flight experiences.

According to Tan, 2022 was also the 25th anniversary of Vietnam’s aviation industry in achieving a high safety index with no air accidents recorded.

The expo was expected to consolidate the image of a dynamic, safe and efficient aviation industry in Vietnam and helped aviation businesses thrive after the pandemic and promote the development of the domestic aviation industry to regional and international levels.

Advanced aviation technology equipment and modern aircrafts models were being showcased at the expo.

The expo also provided forums for business cooperation and opportunity sharing with topics such as the development of Việt Nam’s aviation industry in the new context, strategy to develop new-generation aircraft fleet, airport infrastructure development and digital transformation in flight management.

 - ANN