Noi Bai International Airport's new terminal will be officially opened on January 4 next year, announced the Ministry of Transport (MOT) at a conference in Hanoi on December 26.

Starting from December 31, T2 will be reserved for international flights while T1 will cater for domestic flights.

The construction of T2 started in December 2011 with total investment close to 1 billion USD.

Once operational, the new terminal will serve 10 million passengers a year from 2015-2020, and then expand to 15 million passengers a year.

The terminal has been receiving international flights since December 25 as a trial run before the official opening ceremony.

T2 will reduce the strain on T1, which has accommodated passengers from both domestic and international flights up until now.

Staff training started a year in advance to prepare for the new terminal's opening to ensure services reached international standards, said Nguyen Hong Truong, Deputy Minister of Transport.

Le Manh Hung, Director General of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), said the new terminal will be equipped with advanced technologies, and international passengers will be welcomed by positive, helpful and polite staff.

To address issues regarding overpriced commodities at Noi Bai International Airport recently, Hung said the airport management will start a selection process to find suppliers with good reputations and service quality.

The Director said they will be monitored closely to make sure their prices reflected the quality of their goods and services.

A hotline will also be set up to deal with passenger complaints.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has helped the ACV to train staff to operate and perform their maintenance duties.

On the same day, the MOT also announced the completion of two other projects: the Nhat Tan Bridge and the new road to connect the airport and the bridge.

The cable-stayed bridge, one of the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, spans 8.91km in length and was constructed using the latest technologies from Japan, said JICA.

The two projects will reduce the travel distance from Noi Bai Airport to downtown Hanoi by half to 15 km, and help reduce traffic on the Bac Thang Long-Noi Bai Highway.

Regarding households that had to be relocated because of the projects, Truong said the majority of households already received compensation money and the ministry ordered local authority to speed up the administrative process to assist the rest.-VNA