Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Construction has submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister outlining the distribution of flight operations between Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in neighbouring Ho Chi Minh City.
Under the plan, Long Thanh will handle 80% of international flights and 10% of domestic flights, while Tan Son Nhat will serve 20% of international and 90% of domestic flights.
International routes of 1,000 km or more will be prioritised for Long Thanh; others will be based on airline choice.
Domestic flights will be operated based on the preference of Vietnamese airlines.
Long Thanh is expected to serve 10–12% of passenger volume on the key Hanoi/Da Nang–Ho Chi Minh City routes.
For Tan Son Nhat, it will handle all international routes under 1,000 km, including flights to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, accounting for 15–17% of total international traffic to Ho Chi Minh City. Domestic services will also follow the choice of Vietnamese airlines, according to the plan.
The Government will periodically review and adjust the international-domestic flight ratio at each airport, with a 5-year reassessment period after initial operations.
As per the approved feasibility study for Long Thanh Phase 1, the two airports will function as a coordinated pair. The government will oversee the division of flight operations to maximise efficiency and investment returns.
To support this, a working group was established by the Ministry of Construction in December 2024 to prepare for Long Thanh’s operation. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) selected the Incheon Airport Consortium (IAC) as the international advisor.
IAC reviewed two scenarios and recommended transferring all scheduled international flights from Tan Son Nhat to Long Thanh. This aims to simplify management, optimise resources, and strengthen Long Thanh’s positioning as a regional air transit hub, capable of competing with major global airports.
The Ministry of Construction instructed the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and ACV to assess the plan based on international models and infrastructure readiness.
Both CAAV and ACV agreed on the proposed division and will implement a detailed transition roadmap to ensure smooth operations and effective use of the Long Thanh investment.
The ministry will continue to monitor and adjust international-domestic allocations in line with each airport’s capabilities to ensure efficient long-term operations of both./.
VNA
