Hanoi (VNA) – The outbreak of the acuterespiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in a 20percent drop in the number of the passenger flying via Vietnamese airports ascompared to the same time last year, according to the Airports Corporation ofVietnam (ACV).

Chairman of ACV’s board of directors Lai Xuan Thanh worried that air travelwould further decline in the next one or two months in the light of theoutbreak, with sharp fall to major tourist destinations like Da Nang, NhaTrang, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc island.

Cam Ranh International Airport in central Khanh Hoa province is among the worsthit as Chinese nationals account for 60 percent of the total passengers there.Meanwhile, Noi Bai International Airport is the least, seeing around 530-540flights each day, but anyway this is still a drop of some 100 flights comparedto peak period of Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, Thanh said.

As of February 13, 21 airports managed by the ACV detected 127 COVID-19suspected cases that need medical quarantine, while refusing entry of 297others coming from disease-hit areas.

All international airports in the country are equippedwith body temperature scanners and medical facilities to find out passengerswith fever.

Thanh said the disease may wreak havoc on the business results of the ACV andmany airlines, therefore it needs to restructure its business strategy. One ofthe response to the crisis is receiving more flights from other markets ratherthan China, he suggested./.