Noi Bai Airport unveils expanded Terminal 2 with improved passenger services

The terminal expansion was officially inaugurated on Friday morning.

Beyond additional space, the project introduces a comprehensive suite of automated and digital solutions across check-in, baggage handling, security screening and immigration, aimed at giving passengers greater control, convenience and time savings.

With the expansion completed, the annual capacity of Terminal 2 has increased from 10 million to 15 million passengers and can be flexibly scaled up to handle as many as 18 million.

Combined with the domestic Terminal 1, which has an annual capacity of 15 million passengers, Noi Bai can now serve up to 30 million passengers a year.

Bigger terminal, faster passenger processing

Developed by Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the Terminal 2 expansion project involved a total investment of VND4.996 trillion (nearly $190 million) and was completed after more than 18 months of construction.

The additional facilities have expanded the terminal’s total floor area from over 139,000 square meters to more than 200,000 square meters, helping ease congestion during peak travel periods.

The number of check-in counters has risen from 96 to 144, including 24 self-service bag drop counters, while 24 new check-in kiosks allow passengers to complete procedures independently.

Security screening capacity has been expanded from two to three zones, while the number of boarding gates has increased from 17 to 30.

Passenger boarding bridges have nearly doubled from 14 to 27, and baggage claim carousels have increased from six to eight.

Together, these upgrades are expected to significantly reduce waiting times at key bottlenecks, particularly during security screening, immigration and baggage reclaim.

Automation, smart technologies

The most visible change in the expanded section of Terminal 2 is its high level of automation.

Instead of queuing at traditional counters, travelers can use newly installed self-service kiosks to select seats and print boarding passes before moving to automated bag-drop units, where weighing, tagging and baggage acceptance are handled quickly and independently.

Security screening has been upgraded with next-generation smart systems, including six new 3D X-ray scanners with automatic tray return and multi-angle imaging that enable faster and more accurate inspections.

In addition, three advanced body scanners using millimeter-wave technology allow screening to be completed in just a few seconds while ensuring safety for pregnant women and passengers with pacemakers.

To protect privacy, the system displays only neutral, simulated images rather than real body outlines.

At immigration and boarding control points, automated exit lanes integrated with biometric technology have been introduced for Vietnamese citizens holding chip-enabled passports, enabling faster border control procedures and reducing reliance on manual checks.