Aircraft are seen parked at a local airport. The Ministry of Transport has asked the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam to consider Gia Lai Province’s proposal to resume flights linking this Central Highlands province with HCMC – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The Ministry of Transport has asked the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) to consider the proposal of Gia Lai Province to resume flights linking this Central Highlands province with HCMC.

The ministry also asked CAAV to direct local carriers to operate flights to transport Gia Lai’s residents who are facing obstacles due to Covid-19 from virus-hit regions to their hometown, Phap Luat newspaper reported.

However, the ministry noted that CAAV needs to reach a consensus with the HCMC government on the reopening of air services on the route and has to ensure the flight plans of the two localities are implemented adequately and follow Covid-19 safety measures.

Last month, the provincial government of Gia Lai had suggested the flight suspension on the HCMC-Gia Lai route, aimed at preventing Covid-19 from spreading to the province via air passengers, as the coronavirus situation in HCMC continued to escalate. The Transport Ministry later approved the province’s suggestion.

Up to now, the national aviation authority has suspended many domestic air routes to and from Can Tho, Phu Quoc, Ca Mau and Con Dao to serve the Covid-19 fight under the prime minister’s Directive 16.

By this morning, HCMC’s Covid-19 tally by community transmission had exceeded 62,000 cases, while Gia Lai had reported 24 cases.