HANOI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 52.2 million passengers were transported by air in Vietnam in 2016, up 29 percent from the previous year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) on Monday.
Of the figure, domestic passengers accounted for 28 million person-times, a yearly increase of 30 percent, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA reported.
Last year, patronage of low-cost carriers rose dramatically to around 15 million person-times, said the CAAV, attributing the rise to the strong growth in budget carriers such as VietJet and Jetstar Pacific.
The two no-frills carriers fly on 50 domestic routes and to 17 airports around the country while flying to international destinations including China's Hong Kong, China's Guangzhou, China's Taiwan, Thailand's Siem Reap, Bangkok, South Korea's Seoul, Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, last year, Vietnam welcomed a record high number of around 10 million international tourists, a year-on-year increase of 25 percent.
The tourism industry also served 62 million domestic tourists. This year, it targeted of receiving 11.5 million international and 66 million domestic tourists.
The tourism industry's ambitious goals suggest that the Vietnamese aviation industry would continue to have the opportunity to grow, said VNA, adding that Vietnam has been identified as one of seven fastest growing airline markets in the world.
