Wrong airport staff suspended in Vietnam

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has suspended four flight dispatchers and the crew of a low-cost flight which landed at the wrong airport.

The VietJet flight, carrying nearly 200 passengers, flew to Cam Ranh airport, near beach town Nha Trang on Thursday, instead of its scheduled destination at Da Lat, a popular tourist destination in highlands about 130 kilometres away, newspaper Tuoi Tre reported.

The error was due to a miscommunication "between the flight crew and the dispatcher," a representative from VietJet said in an email to DPA on Monday.

The licences of the VietJet crew and flight dispatchers had been temporarily withdrawn over the weekend "for failing to work in accordance with standard flight operations," pending further investigation, the Civil Aviation Authority said.

The evening flight was originally scheduled to fly to Cam Ranh, but the destination was later changed to Da Lat without the pilot and crew being informed, Tuoi Tre reported.

The airline later arranged another flight to take the passengers to the intended destination.