Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, may soon have a second international airport.
By 2023, it is anticipated that Vietnam’s population would have surpassed 100 million, having grown steadily in recent years at a rate of 1 million people per year. Ho Chi Minh metropolis, which is the most populous metropolis in Vietnam and is still expanding, is home to about nine million of these people.
The population of the Hanoi metropolitan region, which is home to Vietnam’s capital, will surpass five million in 2023, a rise of 3.67% from 2022. The city’s population is expected to triple to between 21 and 23 million by 2050, with a total size of 24,314 square kilometers, close to that of Ho Chi Minh City (where between 24 and 25 million people are anticipated to live there).
Airport congestion in Hanoi
25 million passengers per year are expected to use the current Noi Bai International Airport in the capital of Vietnam. The epidemic has caused the quantity of transit passengers and cargo to consistently exceed the capacity limit since 2017, growing by 10% annually until 2020.
The global air passenger traffic is anticipated to surpass pre-pandemic levels this October, despite a slower recovery in the Asia-Pacific area, following the relaxation of strict travel restrictions.By year’s end, the airport serving the nation’s capital will be crowded once more. It is consequently crucial that a new airport be built to support and alleviate the current one.
Development Plan for the Vietnam Airport System
The population explosion, which is already started and is anticipated to last for the foreseeable future, has persuaded Vietnamese officials to request central government approval for a plan to construct an additional international airport for the capital region in addition to the one that is already in operation in Noi Bai. According to rumors, the report provided to the Ministry of the Vietnamese Prime Minister will list the second airport in Hanoi as domestic rather than international.
The second airport’s potential locations have already been determined by the authorities. These include the southern district of Ung Hoa, which is 40 kilometers from the city center, the Ly Nhan District in Ha Nam Province, which is about 60 kilometers from Hanoi, the Thach Mien District in Hai Duong Province, which is about 50 kilometers from Hanoi, and the Tien Lang District in Hai Phong City, which is located 120 kilometers from the capital.
To satisfy anticipated local and international demand in the ensuing years, the main goal is to improve the capacity of air traffic to the capital to handle 130 to 150 million people annually by 2050. This project would be a part of Vietnam’s long-term growth plan for its airport system, which runs from 2021 to 2030 and anticipates completion in 2050.In addition to the extension of the airports in the capital, the plan for the development of Vietnam’s national airport system calls for the addition of two international airports for the Ho Chi Minh City region: Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh International Airports.
extremely positive prognosis
By the end of 2023, the aviation industry will have fully recovered from COVID, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV). Additionally, ‘domestic’ aviation in most of Asia has escaped the pandemic-related limitations that have only affected international travel. According to CAAV, there will be 34 million Vietnamese tourists visiting other countries in 2023, a threefold increase from the previous year.
There are 28 airports in Vietnam, and 14 of them offer international service. Even the national airline, Vietnam Airlines, recently announced plans to boost the frequency of its international flights to Melbourne (MEL) and London Heathrow (LHR). There is little doubt that the situation won’t get better right away if the administration approves the idea. The construction, readiness, and operating approval of the airport will all take a long time. However, the sooner building begins, the quicker it will be finished.
