Vietnam adds two more airports to construction agenda

In a decision approved by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday, the Thanh Son Airport in the central province of Ninh Thuan and the Bien Hoa Airport in Dong Nai Province that borders HCMC will be added to the roster of new airports.

By 2030, Vietnam will still have the same 14 international airports it has now, as well as 16 domestic airports.

Thanh Son and Bien Hoa airports will be used for both civilian and military purposes.

By 2050, Vietnam will have 33 airports in total. The total number of international airports will remain the same at 14, but the Cat Bi Airport will be replaced by the Hai Phong Airport.

Three more domestic airports: Cat Bi, Cao Bang and an airport in the capital area will be added, bringing the roster of domestic airports to 19.

Regarding proposals to build local airports, the government said it would look into the possibilities of doing so for certain airports with defense and security purposes, as well as those in vital positions with potential for tourism and service development. Twelve such airports have been proposed.

Certain important international airports would be prioritized for construction and expansion, such as Long Thanh, Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc.

The government will continue to upgrade and utilize new and existing airports, aiming for 95% of the population to be able to reach at least one airport within a 100 km radius.

By 2030, the number of passengers at airports should reach around 275 million, accounting for 1.5-2% of transport demand. The amount of goods transported through airports should also reach 4.1 million tons, accounting for 0.05-0.1% of transport demand.

Besides the airports, the agenda also includes logistics centers at airports with transport demands greater than 250,000 tons a year.

These logistics centers will provide traffic connectivity to transport goods at certain airports. The Chu Lai Airport will have a logistics center that acts as a hub for international goods.

The airport agenda until 2030 will require around VND420 trillion ($17.88 billion), derived from both the national budget and other sources. New airports will be invested under public-private partnerships.