COVID-19: Vietnam Airlines prepares two scenarios if Europe closes airspace

The carrier has made two scenarios in case the EU decides to close its airspace, a representative of the carrier told the Vietnam News Agency.

In the first scenario, if the EU closes its airspace at 12:00 on March 17 (local time), Vietnam Airlines will immediately follow the ban, and at the same time push up the schedule to 15 minutes earlier than the closure order.

In the second scenario, if the Vietnamese Government, the Prime Minister and diplomatic agencies have a request on repatriating Vietnamese citizens, the carrier will coordinate with the Government and diplomatic agencies in working with Europe’s authorized agencies to bringing Vietnamese citizens back home.

Vietnam Airlines is willing to bring its aircraft to Europe to serve Vietnamese passengers as requested by the Government and the Prime Minister. However, its solutions at that time have to rely on the EU leaders’ final decision, the carrier’s representative said.

On March 16, the carrier committed to creating the most favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens in Europe who want to return home amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19.

The firm is maintaining five flights from the UK, France and Germany to Vietnam each day, with passengers required to meet relevant requirements.

Vietnam Airlines said these flights will be put under the strictest medical control to ensure safety for passengers and its employees and prevent the spread of the disease in the community.

Those arriving at Vietnam’s airports will be put into medical quarantine and have their samples tested in line with the Ministry of Health’s regulations, it noted.