The aviation industry in Vietnam has been growing rapidly in recent years, while it has yet to develop systematically, having got caught up with the growing demand in the market.
According to statistics, the total number of passengers and cargo sector growth has increased four times since 2000.
Most of the airlines cannot increase flights to meet the growing demand of travelers, because of lack of planes.
Some domestic airlines though, have recently bought additional aircrafts. However, Vietnam may not have enough parking spaces for aircrafts in the next few years.
The national carrier Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines expects to add more than 100 aircrafts in 2-3 years time.
Experts say that lack of parking space will be very serious for both Vietnamese owned aircrafts and also for planes owned by international airlines.
Vietnam currently has 22 airports with two major international airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which seem adequate and sufficient enough for the time being to serve the country’s needs.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the construction of Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. The airport will be about 40 km from the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, 43 km east of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and 48 km from Vung Tau City.
The 5,000 hectare Long Thanh International Airport in Long Thanh District will be built in three phases from 2015 and completed by 2035. The first phase, from now until 2020, will cost about USD 6.7 billion.
In the second phase, ending in 2030, the airport will have constructed three runways and be capable of handling 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tones of cargo annually.
The airport will have four runways and the capacity to serve 100 million passengers and handle five million tones of cargo per year at the end of the third phase by 2030.
On the other hand, the T2 terminal project which is to be an international four-storey terminal with a total floor area of 90,000 square meters at the Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi is under construction.
According to experts, the government should call for more investments for aviation infrastructure that will play an important role in the economic development of the country.
