Stuck in the Middle East
Mr. Nguyen Duy An (23 years old, Hanoi) originally intended to fly to Barcelona for work but was stuck in Dubai for 3 days from February 28. Initially, he intended to transit Dubai for 22 hours and would continue to fly to Spain.
However, after spending morning time exploring Dubai, taking check-in photos with the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa, Duy An received news that the airspace in this country was closed due to the war. He was forced to stay temporarily and wait for information at the hotel according to the airline's instructions.
Without a suitcase of clothes because it was shipped by the airline, having to move continuously according to the emergency warning on his phone, as well as clearly feeling the explosion from afar into the glass door in the hotel room, Duy An almost did not sleep for the first 2 days.
There is no shelter in the hotel, so every time we receive an emergency notice, we will go down to the 1st floor lobby. I don't dare to go anywhere, just move around in the hotel area and immediately buy a set of clothes to change. The hotel where I currently stay still supports room and food costs according to the airline," Duy An added.
Tourism activities are affected
Vietravel currently has 3 groups with 51 tourists in Dubai and a group of 24 tourists in Egypt. Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh - Director of Marketing and Communications Department, said that the groups are all safe.
The company maintains 24/7 contact with local partners to update on the actual situation, proactively arrange standard hotels, and ensure adequate meals and essential needs.
The Middle East is one of the strategic markets we have pioneered in exploiting for many years, not only as a destination but also as an important transshipment hub connecting Europe, Africa and South Asia. The current war situation certainly creates short-term impacts on the aviation sector, especially transshipment and international route operations, which may lead to schedule adjustments and increased operating costs," Ms. Van Khanh said.
However, Ms. Van Khanh emphasized that the impact from the war is time-sensitive. International airlines often have flexible coordination plans, replacement routes and gradually restore operations as soon as safety conditions are ensured. In case the situation is controlled and does not spread into regional conflict, the market is likely to recover relatively quickly thanks to the strong transit system of Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
Some units such as Saigontourist, Vietluxtour, Du Lich Viet do not have any tourist groups staying in the Middle East. However, for tourist groups expected to depart from Vietnam to Dubai in March, businesses proactively work with partners to have plans to handle destruction costs, or support tourists to switch to other routes and programs that are more suitable to ensure safety.
In addition, for tours scheduled to connect flights in Doha, Dubai may have to change direction if the tense war situation persists and aviation operations are congested.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, many flights from Hanoi were directly affected by the war in the Middle East. Noi Bai International Airport statistics from February 28 to 9 am on March 3, there were a total of 16 canceled flights (an increase of 3 flights compared to March 2). At least 3,800 passengers were affected in their journeys (an increase of 1,000 passengers compared to yesterday). The airport is implementing a plan to reduce parking fees to support affected airlines.
Vietnam Airlines proactively adjusts routes and flight operation plans between Vietnam and Europe to avoid affected airspaces, ensuring absolute safety for passengers and crews.
