Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Asked to Restore and Open Domestic Routes by November 10

Overview

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (Cục Hàng không Việt Nam) has issued a written request to the country’s six domestic carriers — Vietnam Airlines (HOSE: HVN), Vietjet (HOSE: VJC), Pacific Airlines, Vietravel Airlines (HNX: VTR), Bamboo Airways and Sun PhuQuoc Airways — to study restoring, strengthening and opening new domestic routes, with plans to be submitted before November 10. The directive matters for listed carriers because it sets the policy frame for domestic capacity allocation into the winter and 2027 schedules.

Key Facts

• The request was sent to six airlines: Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Pacific Airlines, Vietravel Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Sun PhuQuoc Airways.
• Carriers must review both currently operated routes and routes that have been temporarily suspended, and propose restoration plans for those with potential.
• Airlines are asked to consider increasing frequency on existing routes and opening new direct links between localities, prioritising economic, tourism and key economic-zone centres.
• Implementation plans and reports are due before November 10.
• The authority frames the exercise around airport investment and modernisation already underway nationwide.
• Airlines are asked to coordinate with airport operators, ground and air service providers, local governments and travel firms on demand assessment and destination promotion.
• The document calls for cooperation and support mechanisms for route development that comply with current law and balance the interests of the state, localities, enterprises and passengers.

What Happened

In a document sent to the six carriers, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said restoring and developing domestic routes that connect localities directly would add growth momentum and improve the returns on aviation infrastructure investment. The authority asked each airline to proactively build a plan to restore, maintain and develop its domestic network, starting from a comprehensive review of routes in operation and routes that have been paused.

Beyond restoration, the regulator asked carriers to examine higher frequencies on existing routes to better serve residents and tourists, and to study new direct services between localities — particularly links between economic centres, tourism hubs and key economic regions. The stated aim is to strengthen regional connectivity, cut travel time and cost, and reduce dependence on connecting through hub airports. The authority also asked airlines to work with airport enterprises and aviation service providers to prepare the operational conditions needed to lift traffic volumes, and to coordinate with local authorities and tourism businesses on demand studies and destination promotion. The document does not specify route names, frequencies or deadlines beyond the November 10 reporting date.

Market Context

HVN closed at VND 21,050 on October 24, 2026, while VJC closed at VND 129,700 and VTR at VND 9,100. The domestic aviation market has been shaped by post-pandemic capacity rebuilding, fleet constraints and airport upgrades, and the regulator’s push for point-to-point routes is consistent with a policy tilt toward secondary airports. The directive is administrative and carries no disclosed financial commitment, so it is unlikely on its own to move HVN or VJC in the near term; the read-through is to route economics and slot allocation rather than to earnings.

Strategic Significance

The strategic signal is that the regulator wants domestic capacity steered toward direct inter-regional links rather than concentration on the Hà Nội–Hồ Chí Minh City trunk and hub-and-spoke connections. For HVN, which carries a heavier cost base and a broad network, restored secondary routes could improve aircraft utilisation if demand holds; for VJC, the high-frequency, low-cost model is structurally suited to new point-to-point pairs. For VTR, a smaller carrier with a thin domestic footprint, the invitation to propose new routes is an opening but also a capital commitment. The explicit mention of coordination with local governments and tourism firms suggests route-support mechanisms may follow, which would matter more for marginal routes than for trunk ones.

What to Watch

• Airline submissions to the Civil Aviation Authority before the November 10 deadline, and whether they are published.
• Any subsequent announcement of specific restored or new route pairs and launch dates.
• Winter schedule filings and slot allocations at secondary airports.
• Third-quarter and full-year 2026 traffic and load-factor disclosures from HVN and VJC.
• Any local-government or provincial route-support or promotion mechanism announced alongside the plans.