The first flight touches down on the newly upgraded runway at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City on Sunday afternoon. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HÀ NỘI — Two runways at HCM City and Hà Nội international airports have reopened after extensive upgrades.

Runway 25R/07L at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and runway 1B at Nội Bài International Airport were put into use again on Sunday afternoon.

The upgrading project on Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, started on June 29, 2020, has a total investment of more than VNĐ2 trillion (US$86 million). Work is being carried out in two phases, with the first lasting six months.

Phase two will upgrade five existing taxiways and build new rapid exit taxiways, connecting taxiways and parallel taxiways besides a drainage system, taxiway lights and aviation signboards. Completion is expected by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the two-phase project to repair the Nội Bài runways began on June 29 with an estimated cost of VNĐ2.03 trillion ($87 million). The second phase, during which the runway 1A will be upgraded, is scheduled to be completed by the lunar New Year 2022.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hoà Bình said the resumption of operations is significant to helping boost socio-economic development and better serve new-generation planes such as A350-900, B787-9 and B787-10.

He asked the Transport Ministry to ensure absolute security and safety for flights, promote efficiency of investment and speed up the progress of the two projects’ second phases.

Tân Sơn Nhất and Nội Bài are the two largest and most important airports of Việt Nam. They have been overloaded for many years causing visible cracks, deformation and subsidence of the asphalt surfaces, and only last year, with the pandemic putting a halt to most international flights did the authorities decide to take advantage of the downtime to carry out repairs and upgrades. — VNS