Unless city authorities restructure Noi Bai International Airport soon, it will face serious overloading over the next few years, Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia warned at a recent meeting.

Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung committed to put forward about VND30 billion (US$1.3 million) for the re-planning of Noi Bai Airport.

General Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang said Noi Bai International Airport now has two runways. The T1 domestic terminal expansion project, designed to accommodate 15 million passengers per year, is underway by the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) and is expected to be put into use in 2018.

At the same time, Thang said, ACV plans to expand the T2 international terminal in the period to 2020 with a designed capacity of 15 million passengers per year.

However, based on current calculations and analysis, aviation experts estimate that Noi Bai Airport should be expanded to accommodate capacity of 45 million passengers per year, not just the 30 million projected by the two projects above.

According to the plans, the airplane parking area now has 71 parking spaces. Airport authorities plan to expand this to 86 spaces in the near future.

According to CAAV General Director Dinh Viet Thang, at present, Noi Bai airport receives 25 million passengers every year. The figure is estimated to grow to 34.5 million passengers in 2020, 54 million in 2025, and 65 million in 2030.

He also expressed his opinion that the Government-approved master plan in 2009 for the development of the country’s aviation industry by 2020 with a vision towards 2030 was no longer appropriate for the current situation. This master plan predicted that by 2030, Noi Bai airport would reach 50 million passengers per year.

The Ministry of Transport allows Noi Bai International Airport to hire foreign consultant units to review and develop plans to raise the airport’s capacity to 80-100 million passengers per year in the long-term development project.

With current trends, Thang said that it was necessary to expand Noi Bai airport’s infrastructure in order to meet an increased capacity of 80-100 million passengers per year in the future.

The CAAV General Director also proposes that the Ministry of Transport and Ha Noi People’s Committee unanimously draw up plans for land fund for resettlement areas and plans for compensation and site clearance to implement the expansion. — VNS