On October 22, continuing the 10th Session, the National Assembly discussed in groups the draft Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (amended); the draft Law on Civil Servants (amended).
At the discussion session, Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man gave his opinion on the draft Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (amended).
Accordingly, the National Assembly Chairman highly appreciated the drafting agency around the development of the Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (replacement).
Currently, this law has about 11 chapters and 109 articles, a significant decrease compared to the old law, a decrease of 33%, and the removal of 9/24 groups of procedures. However, according to National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the draft law is still long-standing.
"I propose in the direction of innovating the thinking of law-making. We will include any issue within the framework issued by the National Assembly, and the rest will be assigned to the Government to issue a decree for specific guidance - the National Assembly Chairman emphasized.
According to the National Assembly Chairman, Vietnam's civil aviation sector is a complex and difficult problem, so it cannot be fully included in the law but must be expressed in guiding documents.
Giving general comments on the draft law, the National Assembly Chairman said that it is necessary to strengthen the mechanism to attract investment in socializing aviation infrastructure. This is an extremely important issue because the state cannot currently invest in upgrading and expanding airports but must socialize.
In addition, the draft needs to add breakthrough regulations to encourage private investment and public-private partnership models, especially for local and specialized airports.
"Currently, the state is still investing mainly in essential infrastructure, leading to a burden on the budget. It is necessary to have regulations, tax and land incentives and quick approval procedures for domestic and foreign investors. At the same time, ensuring equality between airlines in access to flights and flight services - the National Assembly Chairman stated and said that, for example, assigning the Government to regulate the criteria for selecting investors but needing more supervision provisions to avoid monopoly.
Another issue that needs to be discussed is the investment in aviation finance, regulating the aviation development fund from service fees. Prioritize the dual use of civil and defense airports.
According to the National Assembly Chairman, it is necessary to decentralize, delegate authority and simplify administrative procedures. Currently, investors want to decentralize and delegate authority to streamline administrative procedures.
The draft has been decentralized from the Prime Minister to the Minister and locality, but it needs to be more thorough by handing over the approval of the airport detailed planning to the provincial People's Committee.
The National Assembly Chairman is also concerned about improving security and safety and airspace management. Absolutely prioritize safety by adding regulations requiring safety management systems for all aircraft design and manufacturing enterprises and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in flight monitoring.
Regarding the transfer from the aviation security function to the Ministry of Public Security from March 1, 2025, the National Assembly Chairman said this issue is very reasonable but it is necessary to clearly define the responsibility to the Ministry of Construction to avoid overlap.
The National Assembly Chairman also proposed expanding regulations on the management of drones. Light flying vehicles are currently excluded under the Law on People's Air Defense, but a pilot framework is needed for strict management to avoid affecting civil safety.
