VATM’s flashback for 30 years of handling HCM FIR

December 2024 has remarked 30 years of VATM being authorized by ICAO to control flights operating in the southern portion of Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region (HCM FIR), since its historical milestone on December 08^th 1994.

After the Reunion of the North and the South in April 1975, Viet Nam was not handed over the authority to provide air navigation services in the Sai Gon FIR (nowadays named as Ho Chi Minh FIR) due to its historical situation. To ensure the flight operations in the region, ICAO introduced a contingency plan, including the establishment of aiding flight routes over the East Sea and division of Sai Gon FIR into 3 temporary areas of responsibility under the authority of Singapore, Bangkok and Hongkong ACCs respectively, the rest of the Sai Gon FIR was under control of Ho Chi Minh ACC.

To take over the authority to handle HCM FIR, initially its southern portion in 1994, VATM had taken a long journey of preparation since the Reunion for its facilities to be complied with requirements of ICAO. Specifically, VATM invested in its facilities for 6 important required areas, including Air Traffic Control (ATS), Communications (COM), Aeronautical Meteorology (MET), Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), Search and Rescue (SAR), Aerodrome and Ground Aids (AGA). By 1993, VATM had upgraded Ha Noi Area Control Center, Da Nang Approach Control Center, launched Ho Chi Minh Area Control Center to provide air navigation services in Ho Chi Minh FIR. VATM also signed a contract with Thompson – CSF (France) to purchase 5 surveillance radars with the most modern technology in that period, located in Tan Son Nhat, Son Tra, Vung Chua to surveil air traffic in Ho Chi Minh FIR; put 3 VOR/DME stations in Tan Son Nhat, Phan Thiet, Phu Cat into operation. In parallel, VATM also prepared its human resources for their readiness to join the ANS provision at international scale.

Currently, VATM’s area of responsibility comprises of 2 FIRS, namely Ha Noi FIR and Ho Chi Minh FIR, covering 1,2 million km squares of airspace. Especially, Ho Chi Minh FIR has busy ATS routes, playing important role in the air traffic operations over the East Sea. Nowadays, VATM is providing its services on 35 domestic ATS routes and 36 international ATS routes, in comparison with 13 routes mostly inside VATM’s territory in 1993. The number of flights controlled by VATM was 135.200 in 1994 and increased to nearly one million in 2019. In 1994, VATM’s revenue was 206,6 billion VND and in 2019, this index was more than 6.300 billion dongs, which means 31 times of the 1994 record. The average annual growth rate of controlled flight yield of VATM varies from 8 to 10 percent (exclusive of Covid 19 Pandemic period), which is at the high level in comparison with other countries in the region. During the last 30 years (1994-2024), VATM has controlled nearly 12 million flights, ensured their absolute safety and contributed valuable amount to the state budget. 

So far for the year of 2024, in line with the dynamic growth of the air traffic operations in Asia Pacific, VATM has controlled nearly 1 million flights safely, remarking a growth rate of 14,5% in comparison with 2023. Quality of air navigation services provision of VATM was evaluated at the highest level according to ICAO’s assessment, which is more that 91% due to the result of ICAO’s assessment in 2024, ensuring the required safety index in air navigation services provision. 

In sense of international collaboration, VATM has been proactively coordinating with its neighboring ANSPs for the safe and efficient operations of the traffic flow in the region. In which, Ha Noi FIR neighbors to Vientiane FIR, Kunming FIR, Guangzhou FIR, Sanya FIR and HCM FIR neighbors to Sanya FIR, Manila FIR, Singapore FIR, Phnom Penh FIR and Vientiane FIR. For the last 30 years, VATM has made efforts to contribute to the enhancement of safety and efficiency of Asia – Pacific ANS, such as restructuring airspaces and ATS routes network, focusing on application of most update technologies in ATM. 

Looking to the future, VATM aims to further improve its competence of providing air navigation services ensuring its top priority of “Safety – Regularity – Efficiency” for all the flights operating in its 2 FIRs. The projects of new Ho Chi Minh ATCC, VATM’s facilities for the new Long Thanh international airports and the procurement of 5 new radar systems across the country are major projects among different efforts of VATM to realize this target. 

VATM