Hanoi (VNA) - The domestic aviation market is projected to grow by 7-10% duringthe summer this year compared to the same period in 2019, reaching 3.5-3.7million passengers per month (in June and August), and 4.2-4.5 millionpassengers in July, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang pinned high hopes on the outlook ofthe domestic and international aviation market in the second quarter of 2023.

The domestic market is predicted to experience growth comparedto the same period in 2019, while the international one is graduallyrecovering, reaching approximately 74% of the levels prior to the COVID-19pandemic, he said.

Vietnamese airlines have planned to increase flights to meet the travel demandof passengers, focusing on routes to destinations with high tourism demand,such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, Da Lat, QuyNhon, and Tuy Hoa, among others.

CAAV reported that Vietnamese airlines are currently operating66 routes connecting Hanoi, HCM City, and Da Nang with 19 airports nationwide withover 650 flights per day.

Inaddition to increasing the flight frequency of existing routes, airlines have alsolaunched new routes.

In the first six months, thay carried 34.7 million passengers,including 14.7 million foreigners, up 49.6% and nearly five times,respectively, compared to the same period in 2022.

An estimated 483,000 tonnes of goods were transported by air duringthe reviewed period, down 26% year-on-year, the authority said.

It forecasts that in the remaining months of the year, theinternational aviation market will recover at a faster pace compared to theearlier months of 2023.

There are 52 foreign airlines and five local ones operating in 143 international routes, connecting 29 countries and territories in NorthAmerica, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa with Hanoi, Da Nang, HCMCity, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, and Da Lat.

Some markets have recorded high growth compared to pre-pandemiclevels, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia (up 10% - 30%). TheJapanese market has reached a level similar to that of 2019.

Vietnameseairlines have also opened new routes to destinations in India, Australia and Kazakhstan,Notably, Vietnamese and Chinese airlines will strengthen their operation onroutes from Cam Ranh, Da Nang, and Da Lat to over 40 cities in China through tourismcharter flights./.