The runway 1B at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi has been completely rehabilitated following an overall upgrade.

On the morning of September 9, flight number CV7923 of Cargolux Airlines (Luxembourg) was the first to land at the airport while flights number VN611 and VN5509 of the national carrier Vietnam Airlines took off on the runway.

It is expected that there would be a total of 119 flights taking off and landing at Noi Bai International Airport today.

Works to renovate the runway is part of a large-scale project launched last July to renovate the capital city’s airport, according to the Thang Long Project Management Board under the Ministry of Transport.

Work on the construction site to renovate the 1B runway of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi is completed. Photo: Pham Hung

With 1B back in business, the Noi Bai airport upgrade will proceed to the second phase of upgrading runway 1A. From October 1 until early 2022, the runway will be closed for reparation, said the project management board.

Runway 1B of 3,800 meters long and 45 meters wide has been resurfaced with a new layer of reinforced concrete of 40 centimeters thick. Overly damaged areas have been rebuilt from scratch.

The runway surface is covered with mastic, a suitable waterproofing membrane used in all types of green roofs and known for its long-term performance and durability. Slits were added to avoid the concrete from becoming slippery.

Runway 1B had been seriously damaged after 16 years of operation while runway 1A is of better quality thanks to an upgrade six years ago. The project to upgrade Noi Bai’s runways will cost a total of VND2.03 trillion (US$87.4 million).

The project also includes building three new taxiways, upgrading two existing ones, new airfield ground lights, a drainage system, and other flight management facilities.

Since 2017, Noi Bai has been chronically overloaded that failed to receive new-generation wide-body aircraft. Work on checking and repairing the 3,000-metre taxiway and other facilities is being sped up.

The runway upgrade is expected to support 30 years of aircraft traffic, and even up to 50 years if the periodic maintenance work is carried out regularly in line with regulations.

Noi Bai is one of Vietnam’s two biggest airports, which play an important role in boosting economic development and ensuring defense security.