Vietnam Airlines used an Airbus A350 to fly out almost 300 tourists stuck in Da Nang. The A350 flew into Ho Chi Minh City, where passengers then had to quarantine per regulations. The day before, the airline ran two flights to fly out over 400 passengers.
Evacuating tourists
The Airbus A350 flew from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City on August 13th. The plane arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport just before 16:00 local time on Thursday. The flight, VN7121, lasted about an hour, according to data from Flightradar24.
This was one of the first flights to fly out passengers that were stranded in Da Nang after new restrictions were imposed in the city. Many of the passengers were tourists, including some families flying with children.
On August 12th, Vietnam Airlines flew two flights between Da Nang and Hanoi to carry over 400 passengers. The first flight, VN7160, was operated using an Airbus A321neo and carried 202 passengers. The second flight, VN7162, also performed with an Airbus A321neo, flew over 200 passengers.
These flights came a few weeks after about 80,000 tourists were evacuated in late-July. Vietnam has suspended flights in and out of Da Nang for commercial purposes. To get onboard these select evacuation flights, passengers must hold Vietnam Airlines tickets with fights between July 26th and August 31st. Vietnam Airlines is allowing passengers to redeem their tickets for free travel on these flights. Passengers also need to be registered with relevant authorities and be approved to be transported back home.
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Precautions for the flight
This flight operated much like a Vietnam Airlines repatriation. All passengers wore full-body protective suits, gloves, and face masks. The ground staff and Vietnam Airlines crew also wore extensive protective equipment. Before getting on board the flight, the passengers received some medical check-ups from the airline, including temperature checks.
There was limited service onboard to minimize contact between passengers and crew and prevent any viral transmission. After landing, the aircraft underwent major cleaning and disinfection– this also included associated ground handling equipment.
After landing in Ho Chi Minh City, passengers and crew underwent a mandated quarantine. Vietnam has thus far done a tremendous job combating the ongoing health crisis. The country was lauded for its extensive efforts minimizing transmission. However, new cases in Da Nang led to the imposition of new restrictions– leading to these evacuation flights after new restrictions. This also explains the reason for the airline taking such strict precautions.
The Airbus A350
Vietnam Airlines uses the Airbus A350 on some of its flagship international routes. The plane used on this specific flight is registered as VN-A892. The aircraft is about three years old. While the jet traditionally operates long-haul operations, in recent days, the plane has done plenty of work on domestic routes, mainly between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Other popular Airbus A350 destinations include Tokyo, Paris, Bangkok, Osaka, and more. Granted, that was back when Vietnam Airlines could freely fly tourists in and out of Vietnam.
Other Vietnam Airlines evacuations
Vietnam Airlines has been quite busy with plenty of international repatriation flights. This includes long jaunts from Houston with a Boeing 787-10, Equatorial Guinea with an A350, Angola with a 787-10, and San Francisco with a 787-10.
Were you onboard this Vietnam Airlines evacuation flight out of Da Nang on an A350? What was the experience like? What do you make of this flight? Let us know in the comments!