Flight delays, cancellations can lead to slot loss for airlines By Le Anh Passengers crowd a terminal at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Flight delays and cancellations spark passengers’ concerns – PHOTO: LE ANH HCMC – As flight delays and cancellations remain a chronic problem, the Ministry of Transport has warned domestic airlines that they may lose their take-off and landing slots if they delay or cancel too many flights without good reason. At a meeting of the ministry on August 22 on slot allocation, Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and head of the slot management council, which includes representatives of Airports Corporation of Vietnam, Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation and air carriers, noted that airlines are allocated slots equivalent to 85% of their capacity, a level in line with the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization. According to the council, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, for example, can accommodate 50 planes per hour, though the airport has reached a maximum designed hourly capacity of only 44 flights. Thang attributed flight delays and cancellations to the airlines’ inefficient operations, as well as bad weather conditions. Airlines admitted their shortcomings, but added that the relevant agencies providing services at airports should also take some responsibility. Air carriers proposed the Ministry of Transport improve the quality of services at airports to reduce flight delays and cancellations. Thang suggested raising the rate of utilizing allocated slots for airlines to 85% and then 90% from the current… [Read full story]
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