Vietnam Airlines Corporation earned syndicated revenue of nearly VND43 trillion (US$1.89 billion) in the first half of this year, marking a year-on-year increase of 18 per cent.

The information was released at a conference held to review the corporation’s operation result in Ha Noi on Thursday.

The corporation said its financial situation remained stable with good payment capacity. It is estimated to earn pre-tax profit of VND830 billion ($36.4 million), or 51 per cent of its yearly target for this year.

During the period, the corporation operated more than 70,400 flights with nearly 10.3 million passengers, up 6 per cent. Its average rate of On Time Performance (OTP) was 91.3 per cent, 6.1 points higher than the same period last year and exceeding its target by 3.3 points.

Some 155,000 tonnes of goods were transported during the period, marking a year-on-year increase of 24 per cent.

The firm this week opened a round-the-clock customer care centre with more than 100 telephone operators on June 1 and conducted an online survey to receive feedback on service quality from passengers, aimed at providing prompt services to its customers.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia appreciated the corporation’s efforts since early this year despite facing many difficulties. In particular, the firm had taken some important development steps, including OTP index and high service quality.

In the second half of this year, the corporation will continue focusing on security and safety, especially during the summer holiday. It will closely co-operate with its subsidiaries, strategic partner Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc and members of the global SkyTeam Alliance to create good products, convenient flight connections and attractive prices, in addition to providing international four-star standard service quality, meeting the increasing demand of passengers. — VNS