The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) today [February 28] asked Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways to get ready to repatriate citizens in Ukraine.

The three airlines are required to prepare planes, pilots, and attendants, at the same time report their flight schedules to Ukraine before March 2.

Vietnamese returnees at Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Khanh Huy/The Hanoi Times

CAAV prepares for the repatriation two days after Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked authorized agencies to build plans to evacuate Vietnamese citizens and their families residing in

Ukraine when needed to ensure safety and legitimate rights of roughly 7,000 Vietnamese people there.

As for Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, it is ready to fly at the request of the government as it operated hundreds of repatriation flights from many war zones. The airline said it has enough forces and experience to deploy similar flights as soon as requested.

Bamboo Airways, the leisure airline owned by the FLC Group, said it has experience in repatriating Vietnamese citizens and bringing international citizens back home during the pandemic.

On February 24, Russia launched military operations in Ukraine. Russian forces have entered Ukraine from many directions. Fighting is taking place in the capital Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine.

So far, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways have re-operated routes from Vietnam to Europe. Since the airlines actively adjusted their flight routes to avoid the Ukraine area, the airlines actively changed their flight routes.