Flight cancellations soar amid aviation boom in Vietnam
Passenger traffic grew 9.1% in H1 2025, but on-time flight performance dropped and cancellations surged across domestic airlines.
While Vietnam’s aviation sector recorded a 9.1% increase in passenger volume during the first six months of 2025, its average on-time performance declined, accompanied by a noticeable rise in flight cancellations.
Despite the aviation industry’s strong recovery, with a 9.1% increase in passenger traffic compared to the same period in 2024, the average on-time flight rate dropped to 62.6%, down 13.1 percentage points year-on-year, according to preliminary data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.
Bamboo Airways led the industry in punctuality with 81% of flights operating on time, followed by Pacific Airlines at 80.2%. VASCO, Vietnam Airlines, Vietravel Airlines, and Vietjet Air reported on-time performance rates of 78%, 71%, 67.7%, and 50.6%, respectively.
Flight cancellations also increased. A total of 844 domestic flights were canceled in the first half of 2025, equating to a 0.6% cancellation rate – up 0.2 percentage points from the same period in 2024.
Bamboo Airways again stood out, recording the lowest cancellation rate at 0.1%, equivalent to just 8 canceled flights. In contrast, Vietjet Air canceled 0.5% of its flights (323 flights), while Vietnam Airlines and Vietravel Airlines each reported a 0.7% cancellation rate, with 438 and 15 flights canceled, respectively. VASCO and Pacific Airlines reported the highest cancellation rates at 0.9%, equal to 31 and 29 flights.
Aviation rebound fuels optimism
The Civil Aviation Authority noted robust growth in the sector, with approximately 59.7 million passengers served in the first half of the year. Of these, 22.9 million were international passengers (up 12.9%) and 36.8 million were domestic (up 6.9%).
With infrastructure upgrades underway, the domestic aviation market is expected to maintain its recovery and experience steady growth through the remainder of 2025 and beyond.
To capitalize on this momentum, airlines have been strengthening operations and expanding networks. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air are actively launching new international routes to Europe and Asia. Vietravel Airlines has added its first owned aircraft to boost fleet capacity. Meanwhile, Bamboo Airways remains focused on high-demand domestic routes, particularly for the peak summer season.
By N. Huyen – VietNamNet Global – July 13, 2025