Caution urged against hastily shifting flights from Tan Son Nhat airport to Long Thanh airport

16/08/2025 10:18

As Vietnam prepares to bring the Long Thanh International Airport into operation, experts are warning against rushing the transfer of all international flights from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to the new facility in neighboring Dong Nai Province.

The mammoth Long Thanh International Airport project will be basically completed by the end of 2025 and put into service in 2026.

Without proper transportation connectivity between the city center and Long Thanh, such a move could lead to major inconvenience for passengers, increased costs, and social-economic losses, according to experts.

At the 'Promoting Connectivity between Long Thanh and Ho Chi Minh City' seminar hosted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on June 27, many experts emphasized that transitioning flights must be done gradually over several years.

This approach would allow airlines and passengers to adjust and select the most convenient airport.

Long Thanh International Airport, with its international ambitions, must be supported by a comprehensive, multimodal transportation network, including metro lines, rapid buses, high-speed rail, and even waterway links, all managed by smart systems.

This is the model employed successfully at global hubs such as Incheon in South Korea and Schiphol in the Netherlands.

However, experts cautioned that Vietnam must prioritize and focus its resources on the most effective and feasible connection methods rather than attempting to develop all modes simultaneously.

To ensure smooth transfer between domestic flights at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and international flights at Long Thanh International Airport, senior transportation planner Nguyen Dinh Nen proposed a high-speed metro line directly linking the two airports.

Meanwhile, Hoang Minh Tri, former director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Planning Institute, suggested building an elevated road and monorail line from Tan Son Nhat along Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal to Tan Cang Port and onward to Long Thanh.

However, experts noted that this monorail system would offer lower economic efficiency than a metro line integrated into the broader urban transit network.

With the opening of Terminal T3 in April, Tan Son Nhat's passenger handling capacity has increased to 50 million passengers per year.

In 2024, it served 40 million passengers, so the Ho Chi Minh City-based airport is not expected to need support from Long Thanh until 2027.

Given this timeline, Long Thanh should initially serve as a supplemental airport, handling overflow from Tan Son Nhat.

During its early years of operation, passenger traffic at Long Thanh is expected to be moderate, avoiding immediate congestion on roads linking Ho Chi Minh City to the new airport.

This transitional period should be used to refine airport operations and develop robust transportation links.

Experts stressed that abrupt changes could lead to confusion and undermine the reputation of Long Thanh before it can establish itself as a credible international hub.

Transferring flights too soon, especially without effective public transportation between the city and Long Thanh, could increase travel time and costs for millions of passengers.

If even 20 million passengers per year are affected, the economic loss could amount to billions of U.S. dollars annually.

Data on Tan Son Nhat International Airport's air traffic in recent years showed that international passengers account for about 40 percent, with the majority following a point-to-point travel model.

The number of international passengers transiting at Tan Son Nhat to connect to domestic flights has remained relatively low.

The number of international passengers transiting at Tan Son Nhat to connect to other international flights is also very low.

Therefore, even if international flights are concentrated at Long Thanh, its international transit capacity and competitiveness compared to other airports in the region would remain limited.

Tieu Bac - Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong / Tuoi Tre News

Link nội dung: https://news.tuoitre.vn/caution-urged-against-hastily-shifting-flights-from-tan-son-nhat-airport-to-long-thanh-airport-103250815133949727.htm