The Vietnamese government has added new projects to its 2030 airport roadmap, in a plan to offer 95% of the country’s population access to at least one airport within a 100 km (62 mi.) radius, according to local media. 

As reported by VNExpress, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved and added Thanh Sin airport, south of Cam Ranh and Bien Hoa airport, near Ho Chi Minh City, to the list. Both are military airbases and will be converted into mixed use airports. 

Bien Hoa will complement the under construction Long Thanh International Airport, which is expected to be completed by 2025 to serve Ho Chi Minh city. 

The new projects will increase the airport tally in Vietnam to 16 domestic and 14 international airports by 2030. Additionally, key airports such as Long Thanh, Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc will be prioritized for expansion and upgrades. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposed a second international airport at Hanoi, but it was not included in this round of approvals. 

The government projects that around 275 million passengers will pass through the county’s airports by 2030 and estimates a cost of VND420 trillion ($17.9 billion) for all projects, some of which will be achieved through public-private partnerships. 

Three more domestic airports—Cat Bi, Cao Bang and another near Hanoi—are planned for completion by 2050.

Vietnam’s airports are already operating at limited slots and capacity. The situation has forced carriers like VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines to upgauge their fleets with aircraft such as Airbus A321neos, or limit fleet growth.