The Hanoi authorities have proposed to the Ministry of Transport the planning of its second international airport in Thuong Tin, a suburban district located in the south of the capital city.

Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi is fast reaching full capacity. Photo: Hoa Thang/The Hanoi Times

According to the municipal authorities, this plan has many advantages, among them the short distance and the travel time between Thuong Tin and Hanoi’s downtown, convenient road connection between this site and Hanoi’s metropolitan area, and the easy access to the location by road, waterway, and railway.

The clearance of the 1,300-hectare airport construction site (similar to the size of Noi Bai International Airport with a capacity of 50 million passengers per year) is expected to be less troublesome than other public works as the area is mainly farmland.

The plan also contemplates developing supporting urban areas around the new airport (Phu Xuyen satellite town), industrial zones, multimodal transportation, warehousing, and logistics systems (Phu Xuyen District alone has about 1,039 hectares of industrial land).

With this airport, the total number of airports in Vietnam would rise to 26 for a combined throughput of 278 million passengers by 2030. At present, the country is home to 22 civil airports, including 10 international air hubs. Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi are the largest.

Nguyen Bach Tung, a former airport design researcher, told The Hanoi Times that many cities in the world with populations of 10-15 million have built two international airports, so Hanoi will need another one in the next few years.

He added that an airport in the southern part of the capital city will benefit surrounding localities like Ninh Binh province, an emerging tourist magnet.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been basically put under control in the world. Vietnam has entered a new phase in the pandemic response and has confidently welcomed international tourists since March 15 - the day marked a milestone as the country fully opens its doors to international tourism after a two-year interruption.

“I believe that demand for air travel in Vietnam in general and the capital city of Hanoi, in particular, will be rising consistently,” Tung stressed.