Ministry of Transport Addresses High Airfare Hindering Tourism to Con Dao

In response to concerns raised by voters and the National Assembly delegation of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, the MoT explained that due to current infrastructure constraints, Con Dao Airport cannot accommodate large aircraft like the A320 or A321. Instead, it can only service smaller planes such as the ATR72 and Embraer E190. Consequently, flight operations to Con Dao are somewhat limited.

Following Bamboo Airways’ suspension of the Hanoi – Con Dao route as part of its restructuring efforts, only Vietnam Airlines and Vasco are currently operating flights to Con Dao using ATR72 aircraft.

Specifically, these airlines are running the Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao route with a frequency of 16 round-trip flights per day and the Can Tho – Con Dao route with a frequency of 5 round-trip flights per week.

“This situation has reduced the number of available tickets on routes connecting to Con Dao, especially during peak travel periods like festivals and tourism seasons. When demand exceeds supply, this has indirectly caused airfares to and from Con Dao to remain consistently high,” the MoT noted.

In light of this, the MoT has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to inspect the ticket sales practices of Vietnamese airlines. The inspection results confirmed that airfares on routes to Con Dao comply with regulations regarding the pricing framework for domestic passenger transportation.

The Ministry also advised passengers to purchase tickets through official sales channels (such as ticket offices, agents, e-commerce websites, and apps) and to plan their bookings in advance to have more options and access to suitable fares.

The regulatory body has also requested and facilitated Vietnam Airlines to increase its operations to Con Dao, and along with other airlines, to actively seek aircraft that are compatible with the airport’s infrastructure while exploring plans to expand routes to this destination.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha instructed the MoT to review the comprehensive investment plan for Con Dao Airport to ensure synchronization, efficiency, and to avoid fragmented investments.

The transport authority is to collaborate with the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province on the investment plan and report to the Prime Minister by August 20.

Earlier, the Prime Minister approved the overall adjustment to the master plan for the development of Con Dao through 2045. It is projected that the number of tourists will reach 1-1.2 million annually by 2030 and 1.7-2 million annually by 2045.

Given this scale, the MoT believes that by 2030, it is necessary to invest in a new civil aviation area (including a passenger terminal, parking apron, and synchronized technical infrastructure) with a capacity of about 2 million passengers per year, at an estimated investment cost of around VND 2,100 billion.

@Znews