HCM CITY — The Ministry of Transport has asked agencies to mobilise VNĐ25 trillion (US$1.07 billion) in funding to expand Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City’s Tân Bình District.  

Speaking at a meeting held on Monday in the city, Lê Đình Thọ, deputy minister of Transport, said under a new plan by 2020, with a vision to 2030, the airport would be expanded to serve 50 million passengers per year.

To ensure the progress of the expansion plan, priority is being given to the construction of a new international terminal that would open by 2020.

“The ministry, however, needs approval from the PM to build the new terminal as soon as possible,” Thọ said.

The ministry has asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam to work with agencies and localities to implement the plan, with careful consideration of land use for each functional area at the airport.

“This is a major project and it’s important to call for investment from many resources, especially the private sector,” he noted.

“We also need to invite bidding, select consultants, and seek financial resources for aprons and auxiliary works in the southern area of the airport,” he said.

The total cost for expansion is VNĐ25 trillion, excluding site clearance costs, according to a representative of the Airport Design and Construction Consultancy One Member Ltd Company (ADCC).

The land clearance needed for expansion includes mostly land allocated for defense purposes, so it will be much “less expensive” than other construction, according to ADCC.

Based on a 2021-2022 roadmap, there will still be periods of minor overloading, but the airport will be able to control them, according to Thọ.

“The figure of 50 million passengers per year is the designed capacity, but if organised well, the airport can serve up to 55 million passengers a year,” he added.

Detailed plan

Under the new plan announced by the ministry at the meeting, the airport will cover 791ha, an increase of 250ha compared to the existing airport area of 545ha. 

The additional land includes 37ha of national defence land, 35ha of land in the southern area, and 171ha of land in the northern area.

Under the plan, passenger terminals T1 and T2 will be expanded to increase the capacity to serve about 30 million people per year, while a new passenger terminal in the southern area of the airport will be built to accommodate 20 million passengers per year. 

An additional eight taxiways will be built to expedite aircraft take-offs and landings.

At least 56 aprons will be added in front of the new passenger terminal T3 and in the southwestern area of the airport, increasing the total number of aprons to 106.

Roads connecting to the airport will also be expanded under the plan. 

The airport, the country’s busiest, has become seriously overloaded both on the ground and in the air, forcing many flights to wait in the air to land. 

The airport has a design capacity of 25 million passengers, but the passenger throughput in 2016 was 32 million and in 2017 over 36 million.

The ministry hired the French ADP-I Consulting Company to propose an expansion plan, which was approved by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in March.

Việt Nam is also planning to build the Long Thành International Airport in the neighbouring province of Đồng Nai to handle 60-70 million passengers per year, which is expected to reduce overcrowding at Tân Sơn Nhất airport.

The first phase of the Long Thành airport project, with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year, is expected to receive approval from the National Assembly by October next year, according to Thọ.

Đồng Nai authorities have submitted feasibility plans for site clearance of 5,000ha to the PM for approval. 

The Long Thành airport will not be completed until 2025 or possibly even later, which experts have attributed to a lack of capital and slow compensation progress. 

Tân Sơn Nhất will remain the main airport hub even after Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai Province opens. — VNS