Hanoi (VNAꩲ) - Governments and airlines in many countries have organised special flights bringing their citizens home since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out globally.

In Vietnam, budget carrier Vietjet Air has coordinated with relevant local agencies as well as Vietnamese representative offices abroad to quickly repatriate Vietnamese citizens. Vietjet aircraft and crew have brought home those in priority groups such as children under 18 years old, the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, workers with expired labour contracts, students with no accommodation due to hostel closures, and others living in difficult circumstances, from Singapore, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Republic of Korea. One passenger returning from the Philippines said: “The airport staff were the first to welcome us home. Their friendliness, enthusiasm and smiles warmed our hearts.” In response to the latest outbreak in-country, Vietjet Air also coordinated with relevant agencies to arrange four flights between Da Nang and Hanoi and HCM City on August 13 and 14 to take out tourists stranded in the central city. These passengers, including many children, had become stranded after Da Nang introduced social distancing measures when the second wave of COVID-19 struck. All of these passengers and Vietjet crew have been put under quarantine following the flights as regulated. Participating in many flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens from abroad and bring home stranded tourists, Tran Dinh Hoan, Vietjet Chief Representative at Da Nang International Airport, said: “When Da Nang became a COVID-19 epicentre, we kept working with calmness to prevent any chaos at the airport. All of the passengers were instructed to keep their distance from others and the airline provided them with protective gear to wear during the flight.” “Despite being tired, we felt proud to help our passengers and make them happy. Some of them said that when the epidemic is over they will return to Da Nang to remember this rescue flight,” Hoan recalled. These were the first domestic flights conducted by Vietjet Air carrying tourists stranded by COVID-19. Airlines have carried hundreds of thousands of passengers out of areas affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each flight saw the involvement of hundreds of airline staff in different units to ensure the safety of all passengers, crew, and aircraft./.