Vietnam’s lawmakers have approved a revised plan for the Long Thanh International Airport, extending the completion deadline by one year to the end of 2026 and adding a second runway to the first phase of construction.
All 454 National Assembly members approved the changes Saturday to the airport, which is undergoing construction in the southern province of Dong Nai that borders Ho Chi Minh City.
When the project was first approved in 2015, lawmakers had agreed to build just one runway in the first phase due to budget constraints.
Three remaining runways were scheduled for the second and third phases.
Construction of Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province as seen in August 2024. Photo by Read |
But during construction, the developer, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, realized that adding another runway to the first phase of construction will only add VND3.3 trillion (US$130 million) to expenses, which do not exceed the limits of the first phase.
Two runways completed in the first phase will increase the airport’s flight traffic immediately when it comes into operation.
The government also proposed extending the deadline for the first phase to the end of 2026, instead of 2025, due to delays caused by various factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges in recruiting foreign experts.
Long Thanh International Airport, one of Vietnam’s most ambitious infrastructure projects in this decade, has a total investment cost of around VND336.63 trillion ($13.38 billion).
In its first phase the airport is set to accommodate 25 million passengers annually.
During the second phase, the airport is projected to support 50 million passengers annually, eventually increasing to 100 million passengers in the third phase.
In comparison, Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport can handle 30 million passengers a year, while Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport accommodates up to 25 million passengers annually.
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