Vietnam’s Lien Khuong airport closure for repair postponed to March 2026

At a working session on Wednesday, ACV chairman Vu The Phiet acknowledged that the airport's deteriorating infrastructure has led to reduced flight frequency and must be urgently restored and upgraded.

Under the initial plan, the repair is to start in November 2025 and last approximately six months.

However, chairman of the Lam Dong administration Ho Van Muoi warned that a late-year shutdown could significantly disrupt tourism and provincial revenues, prompting calls for a revised schedule to secure socio-economic development.

In response, Phiet confirmed that ACV will explore interim measures to keep the airport operational through the end of 2025.

Major repair work has been re-scheduled to begin in March 2026 and is expected to be completed before the start of the rainy season.

ACV plans to invest approximately VND3.7 trillion (US$141.6 million) in upgrades that will include building a new passenger terminal and related facilities.

In the first half of 2025, the airport handled nearly one million passengers, with projections indicating that annual passenger numbers will exceed 3.5 million by 2030 and grow at about 10 percent per year.

Following the upgrades, ACV expects the airport’s annual capacity to surpass five million passengers after 2030.

Secretary of the Lam Dong Party Committee Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam had earlier proposed upgrading the airport to accommodate larger aircraft and bolster high-tech agricultural exports.

Located in Duc Trong Commune, it became the first international airport in the Central Highlands in June 2024.