The upgraded runway 1B at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi will be put into operation on September 9, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Works to renovate the runway is part of a large-scale project launched last July to renovate the capital city’s airport.

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.

Duong Viet Roan, director of the Thang Long Management Board project under the Ministry of Transport, told The Hanoi Times that all workload of the runway 1B upgrade was completed.

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

“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,” Roan said.

He added that with 1B returning to business, the Noi Bai Airport upgrade will enter its second phase, with runway 1A closed from October 1 until the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday for reparation.

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 another 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, receiving new-generation aircraft with huge loads, which has degraded its runways and taxiways. Work on checking and repairing the 3,000-metre taxiway and other facilities is being sped up,” Roan said.

He noted that 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.

He noted that the management board had a working session with representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to discuss plans of aircraft operation and other issues, Ruan added.

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

Earlier, work on the second phase of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat Airport’s runway upgrade project resumed on August 25, after 20 days of suspension due to Covid-19.

On August 5, 27 Covid-19 cases were detected at the construction site. The Ho Chi Minh City's government on August 24 approved the resumption of the project after the Ministry of Transport suggested that this project be added to a list of urgent projects in the city.

The project to upgrade the airport also began last July, the same time as the runway upgrade project of the Hanoi-based Noi Bai airport.