Responding to the Hanoi People’s Committee’s proposal on the building of the airport, the ministry said the construction matches Hanoi’s development orientations by 2030 with a vision towards 2045, and the national master plan for 2021-2030 with a vision towards 2050.
The ministry said it will instruct relevant agencies to work on the location and planning criteria for the second airport, and report results to the Prime Minister for decision.
The proposal on the airport’s function will be made based on study results on airspace, and air routes and flight methods, the ministry said, citing the approved national airport system planning as saying that domestic airports are allowed to serve irregular international flights.
The ministry may propose the Prime Minister to convert domestic airports into international ones if air carriers desire to operate regular international flights and the infrastructure is qualified, he said, noting that the move aims to utilise the airport system, serve socio-economic development and ensure the flexibility and openness of the planning.
In the document, the ministry also asked the People’s Committee to soon specify the location for the second airport planning.
The planning scheme should be sketched out with the engagement of foreign consultants experienced in optimising the airspace and ensuring flight safety, the ministry said.
Earlier, the committee proposed potential locations for the capital region's second airport, which include the Ly Nhan district area in Ha Nam province, approximately 60-65km from the city centre; the southern area of the city in Ung Hoa district, 35-40km from the city centre; Thanh Mien and Binh Giang districts in Hai Duong province, some 45-50km from the city centre; and Tien Lang district in Hai Phong city, 120km from the city centre.
According to the national airport system planning in the 2021-2030 period with a vision until 2050, Vietnam is set to have 30 airports by 2030, including 14 serving international flights and 16 serving domestic flights.
The investment is estimated at about 420 trillion VND (18 billion USD), mobilised from the State budget, non-budget capital and other legal capital sources.
Noi Bai International Airport is set to handle about 100 million passengers each year, equivalent to the capacity of Long Thanh International Airport in the southern region and some big airports in the world.
