Number of air passengers down 14% in September hinh anh 1Passengers line up to check in at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The number of air passengers in September reached 4.2 million, down 14% month-on-month, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

The volume increased by 19.6% and 3% compared to that the same month in 2021 and 2019, respectively, it said.

During the month, Vietnamese airlines served  712,000 foreign travelers, up 8.7% compared to last month and down 47.8% compared to that in September 2019. The volume of domestic passengers reached 3.7 million, a drop of 13% month-on-month but 34% higher than that the same month in 2019.

The CAAV attributed the decrease in the air passenger volume to the fact that airlines have entered the low season which usually lasts until the end of December, adding that the number will rise remarkably during Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday in the early months of each year.

Vietnamese airlines carried 37 million passengers in the first nine months of this year, including 2.9 million foreign and 19.5 domestic ones. The figures soared by 157%, 2,396% and nearly 140% respectively compared to the same period last year.

The CAAV forecasts airports nationwide will serve about 87.8 million passengers this year, jumping 190% from 2021. The numbers of foreign and domestic passengers are expected at some 5 million and 82.8 million, up 844% and 178.4%, respectively./.

VNA