Stronger sanctions are needed to stop the delay and cancelation of flights, said Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The at a meeting on co-ordinating take-off and landing times, known as slots, held in Ha Noi on Thursday.

The said the delay and cancellation of trips is an urgent problem in society. It’s necessary to develop solutions strong enough to solve this, especially to serve the coming national day, which falls on September 2, New Year and the Lunar New Year holidays.

At the meeting, Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAA) Dinh Viet Thang said there are many reasons for the delay and cancelation of flights. Weather causes 17.3 per cent and errors by airlines 63 per cent.

At Tan Son Nhat Airport, the capacity is 50 flights per hour but the airport allocates just 44 flights an hour. The airlines with on-time arrivals and departures for at least 80 per cent of the flights will receive priority to select slots next year.

The requested the transport ministry’s units and agencies study sanctions in a more serious way, issuing clear penalties for every delay and cancellation.

“It’s necessary to invest in the application of technologies and infrastructure to ensure safety for night flights, complete the coordination process at the airports, and clearly define the responsibilities of each section,” said The.

The requested the CAA deploy immediately some solutions and make changes in the quality of services as of October 1 this year, preparing to serve passengers during the upcoming holidays, ensuring they do not have to wait too long at the airports.

According to CAA statistics in the first seven months of this year, the total number of flights operated by four airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and Vasco, is 177,510 flights, of which 26,578 were delayed and canceled. — VNS