Customs actively welcomes international flights

Cam Ranh International Airport Customs officers carries out for passenger on entry. Photo: Ngô Thương

It is forecast that the number of international passengers arriving in Vietnam would increase sharply in the future and reach the goal of recovery like before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, before the reopening of scheduled international routes, the number of international passengers is about 40,000-50,000 passengers/month.

From the time of piloting the reopening of international routes from January 1, 2022 to the end of February 14, 2022, the number of international visitors entering Vietnam was 153,000 passengers. Currently, many scheduled flights have been resumed by foreign airlines between Vietnam and Japan, Korea, Taipei, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Australia, Germany, Russia, France, UK, USA, Malaysia, Turkey, Qatar, UAE.

According to the leader of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch, since the beginning of 2022, despite the complex situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the political tasks for the border gatekeepers have been implemented seriously by the whole sector.

Among two teams of Import and Export Luggage Procedures, customs officers and staff are arranged to perform duties following the actual flights and the instructions of the leaders of the Department and Customs Branch.

The Customs Branch has established a professional team and a quick response team operating 24/7 in order to promptly solve problems arising in implementing customs procedures; proactively make plans to be ready when the number of passengers increases after commercial international flights are allowed to resume; creating favorable conditions for immigration procedures to be carried out quickly and accurately, but still ensuring compliance with regulations, not being subjective and losing vigilance in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods, drugs and currency through the area.

Mr. Phan Minh Hung, Head of the Import Luggage Procedures Team, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch, said that flights that arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport were mainly from foreign countries and territories such as the United States, Australia, Singapore, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Cambodia.

The number of departures and arrivals of international flights was starting to increase every day since February 15 when Vietnam lifted restrictions on passenger transport on scheduled and charter international flights. On average, the unit carried out customs procedures for 1,137 passengers on 13 flights per day.

Currently, the Customs Branch has arranged human resources based on the actual situation in order to support customs management of flights. Besides ensuring Covid-19 pandemic prevention, the stages of processing customs procedures for passengers are quickly and conveniently performed by customs officers. For foreign passengers who are women and children, the unit will arrange a separate passage for the green channel.

From January 1 to February 22, 2022, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch carried out customs procedures for 700 entry flights with a total of 60,283 passengers as well as procedures for 629 exit flights with 42,490 passengers.

At Cam Ranh International Airport Customs Branch (Khanh Hoa Customs Department), after nearly two years of interruption because of the Covid-19 pandemic, on December 26, a flight carrying 325 tourists from Russia arrived at Cam Ranh international airport in Khanh Hoa. Then, flights continued increasing from February 15. According to the leader of Cam Ranh International Airport Customs Branch, from the beginning of 2022 to now, the Customs Branch has carried out procedures for over 40 immigration flights, with a total of nearly 9,300 passengers.

According to Deputy Director of Cam Ranh International Airport Customs Branch Ngo Van Thuong, with the above situation, international visitors arriving in Khanh Hoa would increase in the coming months.

Khanh Hoa Customs Department in general and Cam Ranh International Airport Customs Branch had prepared human resources to carry out customs procedures, welcome international flights.

Especially, the Customs Branch had prepared human resources to handle procedures for vehicles, passengers and luggage when reopening international routes from February 15. At the same time, the unit had strengthened the application of risk management in the control of vehicles, passengers and baggage.