With the emergence of Vietnam’s new startup companies such as Vietravel Airlines, Bamboo Airlines and VietJet Airlines, Vietnam’s airports can accommodate limited passengers. For example, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the main airport of Ho Chi Minh City, is designed to accommodate 25 million passengers. However, according to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, before the 2019 pandemic, the airport was carrying 40.6 million passengers.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport has excess capacity and a new airport needs to be built. The solution to this problem will break ground on January 5, 2021, namely Long Sheng International Airport.

Make long-term plans

The Vietnamese government approved the first phase of construction of Long Thanh International Airport in November 2020. The $4.6 billion project includes the construction of a lotus-shaped terminal with 373,000 square meters, a 4,000-meter runway, taxiways and aprons. US$208 million will be used for two roads connecting Longcheng and Ho Chi Minh City highways. These facilities will be able to accommodate 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo. The project is expected to be completed later in 2025.

The Dong Nai provincial authorities have handed over 1,600 hectares of the 1,800 hectares of land required for the project. The airport will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on January 5, 2021. After the groundbreaking ceremony, the contractor delivered materials and started the construction of the airport fence and terminal building.

The Long Thanh International Airport will be constructed in three phases, namely the first phase, the second phase and the third phase. The second phase will expand the airport into two runways and expand another terminal to reach a capacity of 50 million passengers. At the same time, the third phase allows Longsheng International Airport to handle 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo through four runways and four terminals.

After the first phase of the project is completed, Long Thanh International Airport will become the main international airport and cargo hub of Ho Chi Minh City. Tan Son Nhat International Airport will serve as a hub for domestic low-cost airlines in Ho Chi Minh City. The relationship between these two airports is comparable to that of Survarnambi and Don Mueang airports in Bangkok.

Since it is 40 kilometers away from the city center, citizens prefer Tan Son Nhat International Airport. To reduce travel time, a high-speed rail line will be built from the city center to Longsheng International Airport

The future of Vietnam's aviation industry

Tan Son Nhat International Airport will also be upgraded. In addition to the two terminals, in addition to the T1 terminal for domestic flights and the T2 terminal for international flights, it will also receive a new terminal worth US$470 million. The terminal is scheduled to begin construction at the end of 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2023. This will increase the airport's passenger flow by 20 million passengers. From 2020 to 2030, Vietnam’s total airport investment will reach US$16 billion.

Vietnam Airlines will become one of the largest users of Long Thanh International Airport. They will use the airport as an international gateway to Southeast Asia and Vietnam. Most international flights departing from Tan Son Nhat International Airport will transition to Longcheng International Airport.

Before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, Vietnam Airlines had flights to Frankfurt, London, Moscow and Paris in Europe, an extensive route network in Asia, and flights to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. In the future, Vietnam Airlines plans to open flights to the United States, but it is not clear when the flights will be opened. Editor/Huang Lijun