As Vietnam braces for one of its busiest travel periods of the decade, aviation authorities and domestic airlines are moving aggressively to avoid the gridlock and flight disruptions that have marred previous holiday seasons. In a major capacity boost ahead of Tết 2026, carriers have secured 19 additional aircraft for the peak Lunar New Year window, bringing the total fleet expected to be in operation to roughly 216 to 218 planes. Combined with expanded night flight slots, rebalanced route planning, and heightened airport operations, the move is designed to keep millions of passengers moving smoothly across the country at the height of the festive rush.
Why Vietnam Is Adding 19 New Aircraft for Tết 2026
The decision to bring in 19 extra aircraft for Tết 2026 reflects the sheer scale of Vietnam’s holiday travel surge. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), more than 4.1 million air passengers are forecast during the peak travel period surrounding the Lunar New Year. That figure represents not only a strong rebound in domestic demand, but also the continued growth of international arrivals into major hubs such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang.
Compared with last year, the additional capacity is noticeably higher. Airlines operated about 212 aircraft for Tết 2025 after adding 14 planes, but this year they are stepping up further with 19 extra jets, an increase of four over the previous season. That push is aimed squarely at preventing the kind of bottlenecks that have historically occurred on core domestic routes linking Ho Chi Minh City with central and northern provinces, where seat shortages and one-way overbooking have been common.
Uong Viet Dung, Director of the CAAV, has emphasized that the authority has streamlined procedures to make it as easy as possible for airlines to add aircraft and ramp up flight frequencies during the festive period. The focus is on ensuring not just raw seat numbers but also resilient operations, with enough spare capacity to absorb delays, weather disruptions, and spikes in last-minute bookings.
How the Extra Capacity Will Be Deployed Across Key Routes
The added aircraft will not be spread evenly across the network. Instead, they are being concentrated on routes where pre-Tết demand is historically intense and early booking data shows flights selling out fast. From Ho Chi Minh City, services to Hue, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Pleiku, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Chu Lai, and Dong Hoi have already recorded booking rates above 90 percent in the outbound direction, with several flights reaching full capacity days or even weeks ahead of departure.
In contrast, return flights from these provincial cities back to Ho Chi Minh City ahead of the Lunar New Year remain relatively empty, with some aircraft operating as near-empty “ferry flights” simply to position planes for the next outbound leg. The extra aircraft now entering service give airlines more flexibility to cope with this imbalance, allowing them to maintain dense schedules on crowded sectors while still keeping enough capacity elsewhere in the network to handle post-holiday traffic.
Alongside the new planes, carriers such as Vietjet, Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines, and others are adding thousands of additional Tết flights, including late-night and early-morning services that make use of expanded airport operating hours. Vietjet alone is putting on nearly 1,800 extra flights during the Tết 2026 period, equivalent to roughly 390,000 additional seats, while other carriers are boosting frequencies on trunk routes such as Ho Chi Minh City–Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City–Da Nang.
Airport Slot Increases and Night Flights at Vietnam’s Busiest Hubs
Aircraft are only part of the story. To prevent ground congestion from undermining the added capacity, the CAAV has raised slot limits at the country’s two busiest airports, Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi. Hourly slot parameters at these gateways have been increased to about 46 to 48 movements per hour, up from around 42, effectively allowing more takeoffs and landings in the same time window.
This slot expansion makes it feasible for airlines to schedule more night flights, which are critical during the peak holiday rush. Late-night and pre-dawn departures help spread passenger flows over a longer operating day, easing pressure on check-in counters, security screening points, baggage systems, and ground transport connections. At the same time, the CAAV has instructed several high-demand regional airports, including Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi, Chu Lai, Phu Cat, Pleiku, and Tuy Hoa, to extend operating hours and run around the clock during the Tết peak.
Da Nang International Airport is also gearing up for a significant increase in traffic. Between 10 February and 24 February 2026, the airport is expected to handle an average of roughly 343 aircraft movements per day, a sharp rise from the 246 daily movements recorded over the same period in 2025. That surge is being supported by upgraded airside infrastructure, additional aircraft parking stands, and a higher proportion of wide-body jets on both domestic and international services.
Managing the Tết Travel Surge: Forecasts, Challenges, and Lessons
Tết is the single most important travel period in Vietnam, combining a mass homecoming of migrant workers, students, and families with a spike in leisure trips and outbound tourism. For airlines and airports, it is also the most complex operational challenge of the year. Forecasts for Tết 2026 suggest that total air passenger numbers will comfortably exceed 4 million over the core holiday window, with concentrated spikes just before Lunar New Year’s Eve and in the days immediately after, as travelers return to major cities.
Past seasons have exposed several structural challenges. Seat demand from Ho Chi Minh City to smaller provinces in the days leading up to Tết far outstrips demand in the opposite direction, creating network imbalances and forcing airlines to operate lightly loaded flights one way in order to keep aircraft and crew positioned. Weather disruptions, particularly low visibility and seasonal fog in the north, have also triggered knock-on delays across the network. At peak times, even small schedule deviations can cascade into widespread congestion if there is no buffer capacity.
The decision to lift fleet numbers to around 216–218 aircraft during Tết 2026 is a direct response to these lessons. More planes mean more flexibility to recover from delays, reassign aircraft when technical issues arise, and operate additional rescue flights if demand spikes. Combined with tighter slot management, reinforcements of ground staff, and better digital tools for passengers, authorities hope that the worst of the holiday chaos can be avoided.
What Airlines Are Doing Beyond Adding Aircraft
Vietnam’s carriers are pairing the fleet expansion with a broader package of operational and customer-focused measures. Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiaries are boosting domestic and regional routes, with particular emphasis on high-demand corridors linking Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and key tourist destinations. They are also adding night flights, strengthening maintenance teams on the ground, and adjusting crew rosters to maintain safety margins during the intense operating period.
Vietjet, already a major driver of Tết capacity, has taken delivery of several new Airbus A321neo aircraft in early 2026 as part of its longer-term plan to add more than 20 new aircraft around the Tết season. These fuel-efficient jets are being deployed on high-density trunk routes and popular leisure destinations, improving both capacity and operating economics. Promotional campaigns, such as discounted Deluxe tickets for Lunar New Year flights, are further stimulating demand while giving passengers more booking options.
Other players, including Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines, are focused on niche routes and underserved city pairs, such as new or expanded services from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh, Quy Nhon, and other coastal or central provinces. They are also strengthening their workforce, recruiting additional cabin crew, ground staff, and customer service agents to cope with the holiday rush. The emphasis across the sector is on avoiding last-minute cancellations, improving on-time performance, and providing clearer information when disruptions do occur.
What Tết 2026 Travelers Need to Know Before Flying
For passengers, the extra 19 aircraft and expanded schedules translate into more options and better chances of securing seats, but they do not remove the need for careful planning. Many peak-time flights, especially from Ho Chi Minh City to central and northern provinces, are already nearly full in the days immediately preceding Tết. Travelers hoping to depart on the most popular days should book as early as possible, remain flexible on departure times, and be prepared to consider late-night or early-morning flights if daytime services are sold out.
Airlines and airports strongly encourage travelers to use online and mobile check-in whenever possible, as well as self-service kiosks at major terminals. These digital tools can significantly cut queuing times at counters, particularly for those traveling with hand luggage only. At some airports, biometric identification is being promoted to speed up passenger processing at security and boarding gates, helping to reduce bottlenecks during peak hours.
Arriving at the airport well in advance remains essential during Tết. Passengers on domestic flights should allow extra time for road congestion on approaches to major airports, as well as potential delays at security screening, baggage drop, and boarding. International travelers should be especially cautious, as immigration and customs queues can also lengthen during the holiday period. Keeping digital copies of bookings, monitoring airline notifications, and checking flight status before leaving for the airport can help minimize stress.
How These Measures Aim to Prevent Travel Chaos
The core objective behind Vietnam’s Tết 2026 aviation strategy is to prevent the kind of travel chaos that can arise when demand overwhelms available capacity. The 19 extra aircraft directly expand seat supply, while higher slot limits at key hubs, extended operating hours at regional airports, and increased night flights help spread traffic more evenly across the day. This combination reduces the risk of terminal overcrowding, long delays, and last-minute cancellations that leave travelers stranded.
Enhanced coordination among stakeholders is another pillar of the plan. The CAAV has been working closely with the Airports Corporation of Vietnam and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to manage traffic flows, monitor real-time demand, and respond quickly to emerging bottlenecks. Local police and security forces are also involved in ensuring smooth access to airport precincts and rapid response to any incidents that might disrupt operations.
Security measures remain tight, but authorities are striving to implement them in a way that does not excessively slow down passenger flows. Lessons from previous years, when heightened security coincided with holiday peaks, have informed staffing plans and contingency scenarios. The aim is to maintain robust safety and security standards while keeping queues manageable, even when passenger volumes hit their highest levels.
Looking Beyond Tết 2026: What It Means for Vietnam’s Aviation Future
The scale of preparations for Tết 2026 offers a glimpse into the trajectory of Vietnam’s aviation market over the coming years. Continued expansion of fleets, airport infrastructure upgrades, and more sophisticated traffic management systems signal that the country is positioning itself for sustained growth in both domestic and international travel. The successful handling of such a demanding holiday period will be an important test of how well the sector can cope with future spikes in demand.
For travelers, the message is cautiously optimistic. While Tết will likely remain a challenging time to fly due to the sheer number of people on the move, initiatives such as the addition of 19 new aircraft and expanded airport operations suggest a more proactive and passenger-focused approach than in the past. If these measures translate into smoother journeys, fewer delays, and clearer communication, they may set a new standard for holiday travel in Vietnam.
In the immediate term, anyone planning to travel during Tết 2026 should take advantage of the increased capacity by booking early, staying informed, and remaining flexible about travel times. With more planes, more flights, and more coordinated planning than ever before, Vietnam’s aviation sector is aiming to turn one of the year’s most stressful travel periods into a more manageable and predictable experience for millions of passengers heading home for the Lunar New Year.