30 flights delayed in Vietnam over fuel fee dispute

About 5,000 passengers of the low-cost domestic carrier were affected on Tuesday before Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung intervened, said airline general director Luong Hoai Nam, who declined to give details.

Vietnam Air Petrol Company, or Vinapco, briefly refused to fuel the aircraft after Pacific Airlines declined to pay an additional US$10 (€6) for each ton of fuel pumped, according to Wednesday's Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper.

Last month, Vinapco proposed raising its pumping fee from 593,000 dong (US$37, €23) to 750,000 dong (US$47, €30) per ton, citing rising costs, it said.

The airline argued that national carrier Vietnam Airlines should also be subject to the increase, Tien Phong reported. Vinapco is a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, and it has a monopoly on supplying fuel to all airlines operating in Vietnam.

Tien Phong quoted a letter Vinapco sent to Pacific Airlines saying it is natural for them to charge higher fees to the low-cost carrier because it does not operate nearly as many flights as Vietnam Airlines.

Officials at Vinapco were not available for comment.

Pacific Airlines is a budget airline owned by the government's investment arm, State Capital Investment Corp. and the country's biggest tour operator, Saigon Tourist. Last year, it sold 30 percent of the stakes to Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd.

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