Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang made an apology for the case in which a VietJet Air crew decided to land in Cam Ranh City instead of their original destination of Dalat.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, I’d like to make an apology to the passengers and other people affected by the incident. We recognise the seriousness of the incident and how it affects aviation safety,” said Thang at a recent meeting.

VietJet Air crew suspended for changing destination

He noted that VietJet Air was to blame, but the state management agency should also take some responsibility. He also asked that all related agencies and units take a lesson from the incident and prevent such incidents in the future.

He criticised the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) for the late reporting the case and requested that the agency inspect VietJet Air.

“The CAAV is responsible for the daily supervision over the operations of VietJetAir and other airlines to ensure that they comply with approved flight procedures,” he emphasised.

The CAAV now must tighten control over approving flight schedules and apply stricter requirements for VietJet Air as they increasing their fleet.

He also required that VietJet Air apply strict disciplinary measures to those responsible.

“VietJet Air was late in reporting the incident. As this is a new, low-cost airline, it’s important to train skilled staff to meet the standards of the sector,” he noted.

The CAAV must now make a last report on the case by July 5, including proposed punishments for submission to the government and the National Civil Aviation Security Committee (NCASC) for revisions and possible amendments to aviation regulations.

VietJet Air representatives admitted faults in dealing with the incident, causing controversy among the public. They have pledged to strictly comply to standard aviation regulations in the future.