Noi Bai Airport to expand to handle 100 million passengers by 2050

Aircrafts of Vietnam Airlines await passengers at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. An expansion plan by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) aims to raise the annual capacity of the airport to between 20 and 25 million by 2020 and 50 million passengers after 2030. VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung

The CAAV and France’s ADPi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Hanoi on Wednesday to expand the airport.

With total investment of about VND34.7 billion (US$1.48 million), the plan which is expected to be implemented over 12 months, aims to raise the annual capacity of the airport to between 20 and 25 million by 2020 and 50 million passengers after 2030.

The French government has offered non-refundable aid of about VND30.8 billion ($1.31 million).

The remaining investment will be sourced from the State budget, equal to $170,000.

At the MoU signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said Noi Bai International Airport played an important role in the network of Vietnam’s airports.

“The plan must have a clear vision and ensure quality by capable and experienced consultants,” he said.

ADPi is an airport architecture and technical design consulting company under the management of Aeroports de Paris Group. It specialises in managing and designing airport facilities such as terminals, control towers and airport maintenance at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Dubai and Jeddah.

It was also hired by the CAAV to review and study the plan and offer feasible ideas for HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport.

The airport served 6.74 million passengers in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 9.4 per cent.

It has so far served about 2.5 million passengers per year, exceeding the intended capacity of the domestic and international terminals.

The airport has recently suffered from overloading, resulting in the deterioration of runways, taxiways and aprons.

The airport is expected to serve about 90,000 passengers on the upcoming Liberation Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holiday.

During the holiday, around 550 flights will take off and land at the airport each day, a year-on-year rise of 7 percent.

Noi Bai Airport is set to serve the highest number of passengers on April 26-27 and May 1-2.

Ninety six check-in counters at the international terminal would still be unable to serve surging passenger numbers, climbing to nearly 4,300 passengers during peak hours between 12pm and 2am, leading to airport congestion and affecting service quality, said Nguyen Duc Hung, the airport's director.