Noi Bai International Airport is on course to handle 50 million passengers by 2030, for which a major upgrade is needed to avoid the risk of being overloaded.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh at Noi Bai's air traffic control tower. Source: VGP

"Major investments are needed to make Noi Bai airport worthy of being an infrastructure of the capital and the country," Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh gave remarks during his visit to the airport on September 21 to review its planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision for 2050.

Given the huge magnitude of the project, Thanh called for each process to strictly follow regulations and the Government’s instructions.

He requested that Hanoi’s authorities work closely with government agencies in identifying the locations for the expansion, soon finalizing the detailed planning and submitting an investment proposal to the Government.

“The construction for the runway and passenger terminal should start in the 2024-2025 period,” he added.

During the visit, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang stressed Noi Bai along with upcoming Long Thanh International Airport would be the two largest air transportation hubs in the country.

According to Thang, Noi Bai currently has two passenger terminals with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year each; and a cargo terminal of 400,000 tons per year.

The number of passenger transportation during 2010-2019 expanded by an average of 13%, and 14.5% for cargo transportation.

In 2019, the airport handled 29 million passengers and 695,000 tons of goods.

Thang noted French consultant ADPi has completed construction planning for the airport, which is subject to recommendations from government agencies.

“The goal is to expand the airport to a capacity of 100 million passengers by 2050,” he added.

Under ADPi’s proposal, by 2030, Noibai would have three runways and three passenger terminals; in which the T2 terminal is expected to be expanded for the combined T1 and T2 to serve 30-40 million passengers per year; build the T3 terminal in the south of the Airport with a capacity of 30 million passengers per year.

By 2050, the airport is set to have five runways and four terminals.

Vu The Phiet, general director of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the operator of 22 commercial airports in the country, suggested the Government carry out a partial upgrade before the detailed planning would be approved, saying the move is essential to deal with rising air transport demand.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Trong Dong noted for their part, the local authorities are willing to take part in the site clearance process and ensure the successful realization of the project.