PM urges aviation industry to tighten security

This requirement was one of six in a message from the Prime Minister sent to the aviation industry at the meeting between the Government working group led by Minister – Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung and representatives of three aviation firms, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation and Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), in Hanoi on August 16.

The meeting aimed to urge the industry to boost business and production, contributing to hitting the country’s GDP growth target this year as well as discovering and solving difficulties. The businesses will then have to report and explain the problems to the Government and the PM.

In the message, PM Phuc said the industry has grown but has to ensure security and safety, seen as the most important issue.

“Whatever the circumstances, we will not let danger occur,” said Dung, who also mentioned problems related to air traffic management recently at Cat Bi Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong.

The PM mentioned the importance of increasing the frequency of take offs and landings and said that many international airports had a frequency of two minutes per flight, or even one minute per flight.

Dung also questioned the plan to double the annual capacity of Tan Son Nhat International Airport from its current capacity of 25 million passengers when the airport has not been expanded and Long Thanh Airport, designed to be the country’s largest airport in the southern province of Dong Nai and about 40km far from HCM City, is yet to be constructed. 

The third issue is ensuring the security of flight information. This is a key issue for ACV, which needs to have measures to stop cyber attacks that delay flights.

Delayed and cancelled flights are another issue. In July, the on-time rate of Vietnam Airlines increased compared with previous years, but the number of delayed and cancelled flights of budget airlines was still high, which was due to infrastructure, technology or facilities, Dung asked participants at the meeting.

The industry had witnessed fierce competition, good development and enhanced quality but the delay and cancel of flights is a big public concern. Agencies need to pay attention and co-ordinate with each other to solve this problem.

The PM also mentioned aviation culture, efficiency and profit, especially of Vietnam Airlines. The firm’s revenue rose nearly 10% in the first months of this year, but after-tax profits did not increase in tandem.

Another issue is airport security. Dung questioned why some airports control security well and stop drug transportation but others can’t. He mentioned the mobilisation of social funds in aviation infrastructure.

The Ministry of Transport and the ACV should study the issue and devise measures.

The fifth issue is equitisation. The Prime Minister wanted the ACV to hasten its equitisation and divestment.

As for the sixth issue, he asked the industry to take every opportunity to maintain its annual growth rate of 17-20% in recent times.

The Government working group also asked the three businesses to report their difficulties in mechanisms and policies in detail. The group will collect and report the issues to the Government and the PM.