Airports Council International forecasts that Vietnam will have the fastest air passenger growth in the world in the period of 2018-2040 with an average annual growth rate of 6.2%.

The suspension was in response to the request of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to stop flights from and to epidemic-stricken areas.

Customers already booked a seat on those routes can get refunded or change to earlier flights free of charge, Vietnam Airlines informed.

Before the nCoV outbreak, three Vietnamese airlines namely Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and VietJet operated 87 regular and charter flight routes to 54 destinations in China with a total of 401 flights per week.

KB Securities predicted there would be flat growth in foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam in 2020, compared to 15% growth in 2019.