A biometric identification system for security screening allows passengers to complete airport procedures without paper documents at Đà Nẵng International Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐÀ NẴNG — The Ministry of Construction has approved a master plan to develop Đà Nẵng International Airport through 2030, with a long-term vision to 2050, maintaining its role as a key aviation hub in central Việt Nam with a designed capacity of about 20 million passengers per year.

The airport, located in Hòa Cường and An Khê wards of Đà Nẵng, will continue operating as a dual-use civil and military facility.

According to the plan, the airport will retain its two existing runways while expanding apron space to accommodate approximately 52 aircraft parking positions. Additional infrastructure will include a rapid-exit taxiway and two connecting taxiways to improve aircraft movement efficiency.

During the 2021–2030 period, the airport is expected to handle around 20 million passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo annually, meeting 4E standards defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

By 2050, cargo capacity is projected to rise to about 330,000 tonnes per year, while passenger throughput will remain at the same level.

Planned terminal upgrades include expanding the domestic terminal (T1) to serve about 14 million passengers annually and renovating the international terminal (T2) to handle around 6 million passengers annually. A new cargo terminal covering roughly 2.46 hectares will be developed in the northern section of the airport.

Supporting infrastructure such as waste treatment facilities, fire and rescue services, equipment maintenance areas, inflight catering facilities, parking areas and technical systems for electricity, water supply and drainage will also be upgraded.

The airport’s total land requirement during the planning period is estimated at approximately 806.62 hectares, including land managed by civil aviation authorities, the military and shared-use areas.

The Ministry has assigned the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam to lead implementation of the plan in coordination with local authorities, while the Đà Nẵng People’s Committee will integrate the project into urban planning and ensure transport connectivity to support future growth.

Đà Nẵng International Airport is the first in Việt Nam to apply fully automated passenger services from check-in to boarding, including the Auto Gate, an automatic immigration declaration system, self-service bag drop, self-check-in kiosks, auto-boarding gate, video call kiosks and multilingual information search screens.

The airport currently has 24 direct air routes, of which 16 are international, serving around 112 flights per day.

The airport was listed among the 100 best airports in the world in 2024 by UK-based aviation consultancy Skytrax, while it was ranked among the top five airports with the capacity to host from four to 20 million passengers per year at Routes Asia 2024. — VNS