Tan Son Nhat International Airport experienced a surge in activity on the fourth day of Tet, with approximately 1,037 flights, both arrivals and departures. Of these, 962 were passenger flights, carrying nearly 170,000 people. This volume represents an increase of about 50,000 passengers compared to a normal day and a 15% rise year-on-year. Passenger traffic predominantly consisted of nearly 100,000 arrivals in TP HCM, mostly from domestic routes as people returned after the holiday.
This marked the second consecutive day of exceptionally high passenger volumes. On the third day of Tet, the airport handled 922 flights, transporting over 151,000 passengers.
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Passengers waiting to check in at Tan Son Nhat Airport during Tet Binh Ngo 2026. Photo: Ha Giang |
Today's flight and passenger numbers surpassed initial forecasts, which had projected a peak of about 165,000 passengers. This volume is considered a record for the airport in over 10 years. Previously, during Tet peaks, the airport averaged nearly 1,000 flights and about 115,000-120,000 passengers daily. Passenger volumes are expected to remain similar to today's levels in the coming days.
Despite the significant increase in passenger numbers, the airport did not experience major congestion. A representative from Tan Son Nhat Airport stated that operational pressure was alleviated by the distribution of traffic between the two domestic terminals, T1 and T3. Currently, all flights for Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines, and Sun Phu Quoc Airways have moved to terminal T3, which has a design capacity of 20 million passengers annually. Terminal T1 is now exclusively used by VietJet Air.
The airport also collaborated with various units to develop peak service plans, regulating passenger flow by time slots. Measures included flexibly managing check-in counters, baggage carousels, and departure gates, and continuing to apply identification and biometric recognition to shorten check-in times.
Authorities recommend passengers prepare all necessary documents, carefully check flight and terminal information, and arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights to avoid delays.
Giang Anh
