Hanoi (VNA) – A total of 39 aircraft have beenleft unused and parked on runways and in storage facilities as of the end ofthis year’s first quarter due to border closures and air travel bans induced bythe COVID-19, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).
Among the aircraft, 18 belong to the national flagcarrier Vietnam Airlines, 14 to Vietjet Air, three to Bamboo Airways and four toPacific Airlines, data of the CAAV shows.
The grounded aircraft are among 269 airplanes registeredas Vietnamese currently, up 13 from the same time last year. These comprise 247flat-winged jets of Boeing, Airbus, ATR and Embraer as well as 22 helicopters.
It is a matter of fact that an aircraft’s condition candeteriorate for just sitting on the ground, causing problems when the planereturns to service. CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang has issued a noticerequesting airlines to rotate between in-service and stored jets every month.
Accordingly, airlines are required to leave aircraftunused for no longer than one month in order to reduce safety risks associatedwith prolonged parking. They must report and obtain approval from the CAAV ifan airplane needs to be grounded for more than a month for repair andmaintenance, except for periodic inspection.
Airlines must regularly update and strictly comply with instructionsprovided by manufacturers in terms of maintenance for aircraft in long-termstorage, Thang said, adding that inspection and maintenance measures must bestrengthened for these jets in order to promptly get any problems fixed./.
Among the aircraft, 18 belong to the national flagcarrier Vietnam Airlines, 14 to Vietjet Air, three to Bamboo Airways and four toPacific Airlines, data of the CAAV shows.
The grounded aircraft are among 269 airplanes registeredas Vietnamese currently, up 13 from the same time last year. These comprise 247flat-winged jets of Boeing, Airbus, ATR and Embraer as well as 22 helicopters.
It is a matter of fact that an aircraft’s condition candeteriorate for just sitting on the ground, causing problems when the planereturns to service. CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang has issued a noticerequesting airlines to rotate between in-service and stored jets every month.
Accordingly, airlines are required to leave aircraftunused for no longer than one month in order to reduce safety risks associatedwith prolonged parking. They must report and obtain approval from the CAAV ifan airplane needs to be grounded for more than a month for repair andmaintenance, except for periodic inspection.
Airlines must regularly update and strictly comply with instructionsprovided by manufacturers in terms of maintenance for aircraft in long-termstorage, Thang said, adding that inspection and maintenance measures must bestrengthened for these jets in order to promptly get any problems fixed./.
VNA