Flights from Vietnam to Europe have not been affected by the Russia-Ukraine tension as Vietnamese carriers only fly to Moscow and have prepared backup airports, avoiding areas of conflict, ensuring absolute safety for flights.

Vietnam's flights to Europe are not affected by Russia-Ukraine tension. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The latest information was stated by Dinh Viet Thang, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on February 24.

He said currently, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have operated regular international routes from Vietnam to/from 15 countries and territories, including Cambodia, Hong Kong and Taiwan (China), Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, France, Germany, the UK, Australia, Russia and the US.

Among them, passenger and cargo flights from Vietnam to the Europe (Russia, France, Germany, England) are being operated normally with a frequency of 24 flights per week.

Thang added the national air carrier Vietnam Airlines has for long flown over Russia and Western Europe, instead of Belarus and Ukraine.

According to the Russian news agency RT, in many major cities of Ukraine, loud explosions were heard on the morning of February 24 (Vietnam time).

Earlier, on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special operation to protect people in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic of Donetsk and the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.

Reuters reported on February 24, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommended that operators be cautious and avoid using airspace within 100 nautical miles of the Belarusian and Russia-Ukraine border as a precautionary measure.

The Ukrainian government has also closed airports in eastern Ukraine from midnight to 7am because of escalating tensions. Ukraine's aviation authorities also declared some airspace in the east as “danger zone”.