Upgraded runways in Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai airports put into use

The runway 25R/07L of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the runway 1B of Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport were put into use again after upgrading on January 10 afternoon.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh (sixth from left) and delegates cut the ribbon to inaugurate the upgraded runways.
Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh (sixth from left) and delegates cut the ribbon to inaugurate the upgraded runways.

The upgrading project on Tan Son Nhat International Airport, started on June 29, 2020, has a total investment of over VND2 trillion (US$86 million). The upgrade is carried out in two phases, with the first lasting six months.

In the second phase, the project will upgrade five existing taxiways and build new rapid exit taxiways, connecting taxiways and parallel taxiways besides a drainage system, taxiway lights and aviation signboards. The second phase is expected to finish before December 31.

Meanwhile, the two-phase project to repair the Noi Bai runways kickstarted on June 29 with an estimated cost of about VND2.03 trillion (over US$87 million). The second phase, during which the runway 1A will be upgraded, is scheduled to be completed by the lunar New Year 2022.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said that the resumption of operations of the runways is of significance, thus helping boost socio-economic development and better serving new-generation planes such as A350-900, B787-9 and B787-10.

He asked the Transport Ministry to direct units to ensure absolute security and safety for flights and promote efficiency of investments, and speed up the progress of the two projects’ second phases.

Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai are the two largest and most important airports of Vietnam. They have been overloaded for many years and the resultant damage has been evident in visible cracks and deformation and subsidence of the asphalt surfaces.