The Hanoi Authority for Urban Planning & Architecture will study the planning of Noi Bai International Airport for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision for 2050 in line with the city’s construction master plan for the same period.

Noi Bai International Airport is estimated to serve 100 million passengers by 2050. Photo: ACV

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan gave the task to the department according to the latest instruction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh.

According to the city’s leader, the job will also involve the municipal Departments of Transport, Planning and Investment, the Urban Planning Institute and the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV).

Earlier, at a meeting to review its planning on September 21, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh asked Hanoi authorities to work closely with government agencies to identify locations for airport expansion, to finalize detailed planning soon and submit an investment proposal to the government.

Thanh affirmed that expansion work at Noi Bai International Airport will begin in 2025 to cater to the growing number of passengers.

According to the current planning (Prime Minister's Decision No. 590),  the Hanoi-based International Airport will have an annual capacity of 20 to 25 million passengers by 2020 and 50 million passengers after 2020. However, in 2019, the airport handled more than 29 million passengers.

It is the gateway to the capital city, which sees a surge in the number of international visitors by air every year. Thanh added that it is necessary to expand the airport to deal with the inevitable overload in the future to deserve the country's ascending position.

According to the proposed plan, Noi Bai International Airport, by 2050, will handle a throughput of about 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo per year.

Thanh asked the ACV to expeditiously conduct investment preparation and report to competent authorities for consideration and approval of investment policies following regulations.

Ministries, industries and localities should ensure that the runway and passenger terminal construction starts in the 2024-25 period, he concluded.