Vietnam’s Long Thanh airport to launch with 4 int’l routes in December

Dang Ngoc Hoa, chairman of Vietnam Airlines JSC, said Long Thanh International Airport is a key investment priority for Vietnam Airlines through 2035, with a vision to 2045.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines aims to help develop the airport into a transit hub connecting Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe.

In its initial phase, Vietnam Airlines plans to move four international routes linking Vietnam with Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Manila to Long Thanh Airport.

These routes account for about 12 percent of the airline’s international operations in the Ho Chi Minh City area.

Four routes will not be enough to establish a major transit hub, but they could serve as a market test before the carrier shifts more flights or launches longer-haul routes.

He said that flight scheduling will be crucial.

Flights from Vinh, Hai Phong, and Hanoi need to arrive at the airport early enough for passengers to connect to Manila, Hong Kong or Beijing.

International passengers arriving at Long Thanh will need next flights to other Vietnamese destinations.

If passengers have to wait several hours, reclaim their baggage or travel to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in neighboring Ho Chi Minh City for a connection, the new airport’s advantages could be significantly reduced.

Hoa added that Vietnam Airlines is studying plans to add wide-body aircraft and invest in maintenance facilities, a cargo terminal, an express delivery center, and dedicated freighter aircraft.

Budget carrier Vietjet, meanwhile, plans to build its passenger base through a domestic network.

Under its proposal submitted to Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Vietjet plans to station three aircraft at Long Thanh Airport and operate 18 daily flights to Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, and Vinh.

Vietjet could later increase its fleet to 4-6 aircraft and eventually 8-10.

The low-cost airline also plans to launch new services to destinations in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, and Europe.

Vietjet’s domestic flights would not only serve passengers traveling to and from the Ho Chi Minh City area but also provide feeder traffic for the international network.

Long-haul routes are difficult to maintain at high frequencies if they rely solely on passengers from Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas.

Long Thanh Airport will compete not only with Tan Son Nhat Airport but also with established regional hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Incheon. These airports already have extensive flight networks, reliable connection schedules, and mature transfer procedures.

For passengers, the main considerations are ticket prices, total travel time, the risk of missing a connection, and whether baggage can be transferred directly.

Long Thanh Airport will have an advantage only if traveling through the new airport is faster or more cost-effective.

On July 20, a Korean Air delegation led by executive vice-president Choi Jung Ho inspected Long Thanh Airport’s passenger and cargo terminals, as the airline explored the possibility of launching an Incheon-Long Thanh route while expanding cargo operations.

Kyoung Hee Kang, Korean Air’s regional manager for Vietnam, said Vietnam has the largest number of destinations served by the airline in Southeast Asia.

If the Incheon-Long Thanh route is launched, South Korean travelers would have another gateway to southern Vietnam.

However, flight schedules would need to align with domestic connections and services to Southeast Asia, Australia, and India.

Nguyen Duc Hung, acting CEO of ACV, said the company is developing a plan to balance operations between Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat in order to keep Tan Son Nhat profitable while ensuring Long Thanh operates effectively from its initial stage.

The entire domestic network as well as short- and medium-haul international routes at Tan Son Nhat will be kept unchanged.

ACV is working with airlines to promote 21 new international routes serving the Tan Son Nhat-Long Thanh airport system between now and 2030, with key target markets including mainland China, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S..

ACV estimates these routes could bring about two million additional passengers annually to Long Thanh by 2030.

Potential routes could later extend to North America, Oceania, the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia.

Between 2025 and 2040, passenger numbers from several major markets are forecast to continue an upward trend, including mainland China at about nine percent annually, Hong Kong at 9.1 percent, South Korea at 4.2 percent, and the U.S. at 2.5 percent. These markets currently account for about 75 percent of international visitors to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s aviation market could receive an additional 8.6 million international passengers by 2030, with the Tan Son Nhat-Long Thanh area accounting for about 3.2 million of that increase.

Aviation expert Nguyen Thien Tong said the division of operations between Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat should be implemented gradually, with passenger choice and convenience as the guiding principles.

Long Thanh Airport should also be given room for airlines to proactively launch additional routes as market demand grows, he said.

To support airlines, ACV is introducing the ‘Long Thanh Launch’ incentive package, offering 20-50-percent discounts on aviation service fees during the 2026-27 period to attract carriers.