PM approves to expand Tan Son Nhat Airport southwards

At the Government’s meeting held on March 28, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the plan to expand Tan Son Nhat Airport as proposed by French-based ADP-I Company, one of the top global airport engineering companies.

Accordingly, an additional passenger terminal will be built in the south of the airport next to the existing terminal on a total floor area of 200,000 square metres, to accommodate 20 million passengers a year. The total investment capital is estimated at VND18 trillion ($791 million).

In the northern area, including the golf course and 16 hectares of land managed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD), auxiliary facilities including cargo terminals, aircraft repair… will be built.

According to ADP-I, this plan will ensure the timely construction progress of essential construction items, including the courtyard system, airfield and passenger terminal because most of the land area where these items are constructed belongs to the airport. Therefore, the construction can be started immediately.

The construction of the T3 terminal with a capacity of 20 million passengers a year in the south of the airport may be phased in according to the progress of site clearance. Accordingly, in phase 1, the construction of the terminal will be started on a 16.37-ha land lot handed over by MoD and is expected to take from two to three years.

In Phase 2, the terminal, airfield and auxiliary facilities will be expanded with construction progress from one to two years after the completion of site clearance.

This plan will help reduce the construction cost, facilitate the flight management process and ensure the process of connection between the terminals and the process of providing ground services for units, according to ADP-I.

Currently, Tan Son Nhat Airport receives 36 million passengers per year, which exceeds its design capacity of 25 million.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The affirmed that the plan submitted to the Government is the optimal one. Lieutenant General, Deputy Chief of Defense Phan Van Giang also supported this option, confirming that DoF will hand over 16 hectares out of 36 hectares of land under its management to expand Tan Son Nhat Airport.

The Government’s members said that raising the capacity of Tan Son Nhat Airport to between 45 million and 50 million passengers per year is appropriate other than 60-70 million because there are no huge airports located in cities all over the world.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that ADP-I’s proposal has been publicly discussed, emphasizing that the chosen plan achieves the highest efficiency in land and capital use, as well as guarantees technical, security and safety issues

The PM assigned the Ministry of Transport to instruct ADP-I to coordinate with local consultants to complete the plan on the basis of ensuring the best use of land both in the south and north. The ministry also takes responsibilities of raising funds and completing the necessary paperwork for the project to start construction of the new terminal as soon as possible.

The PM affirmed that after the expansion, Tan Son Nhat Airport will be able to serve at least 50 million passengers each year. It is also a dual-use airport, serving both civilian and military purposes and is being used long-term with Long Thanh Airport, which is expected to be completed by 2025.

The Prime Minister also tasked Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to actively implement the planning and investment in upgrading traffic infrastructure surrounding Tan Son Nhat Airport to avoid more serious traffic jams after the airport is expanded.