Deputy Prime Minister Hoang
Trung Hai requested Vietnam's aviation industry to create breakthroughs in
building and upgrading airports in a bid to name it in the top four in ASEAN.
Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 10 to look back the development of
the sector over the last 60 years, the Deputy PM said the industry made crucial
contributions to the national construction and development.
He praised efforts of the sector in ensuring flight safety and security,
especially preventing serious accidents and problems from happening, stressing
that this is vital for both the sector and the nation.
The industry needs to continue promote its gained achievements and overcome
shortcomings and limitations to perfect itself in the coming time, Hai said.
He asked the sector to concentrate on reviewing and adjusting plans, bettering
transport-related law and policy system, accelerating restructuring, and
mobilising extra-budgetary resources in order to promote its development in the
future.
Together with developing a young and modern fleet, the sector should reduce
airfares, improve service quality and international competitive capacity and
expand domestic and international routes, he noted.
In addition to its business development task, the Vietnam civil aviation
industry needs to ensure its role as a reserve force for national defence and
national sovereignty protection, he added.
General Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Lai Xuan
Thanh reported that the industry has gained strong growth in recent years,
transporting 40.1 million passengers and 741,000 tonnes of cargo by 2015, up
13.7 percent and 10 percent a year, respectively.
The country’s airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Jestar Pacific Airlines,
Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) and VietJet Air boast 125 aircraft
operating on 48 domestic routes. Together with 52 foreign airlines, they are
running 95 international routes.
Vietnamese carriers account for 47.9 percent and 11.6 percent of market shares
of international passenger and cargo transport.
The sector earmarked around 55 trillion VND (2.475 billion USD) for building
and upgrading airport infrastructure, equivalent to 38.5 percent of the
sector’s total investment.
The move has helped meet the development demand of domestic and international
aviation transport markets, remarkably contributing to ensuring national
defence-security and economic development, and increasing the position of the
Vietnamese aviation industry in the international arena, Thanh stressed.
Regarding international integration, the industry signed 67 bilateral
agreements on aviation transport and six multilateral ones, while actively
joining in the ASEAN aviation market .
It also strictly obeys international regulations and meets all requirements of
the international Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State, National Assembly Vice
Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan granted the Labour Order, first class, to the
CAAV.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam was established on January 15, 1956
under Decree No.666/TTg by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, laying a foundation
for sustainable development of the sector.