Long Thanh International Airport will open with a handling capacity of 2.6 million passengers, expanding to 15 million by the end of 2027.
HONG KONG—Vietnam’s new Long Thanh International Airport (LTH) is slated to begin technical flights on Dec. 19, 2025, ahead of a full operational launch in June 2026.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the project’s operator, plans to shift all long-haul services from Ho Chi Minh City’s congested Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) to LTH, positioning the new hub as the country’s primary international gateway.
LTH deputy director Truong Trung Thanh said while plans are not set in stone, LTH will first handle flights from Europe, India, Middle East and North America and expanding to Northeast Asia in 2027.
The current Tan Son Nhat airport will handle flights within Southeast Asia.
An airline consultation committee has been established, with carriers backing the transition. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air are expected to anchor operations at LTH, with Vietjet also planning to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility. Cargo operators, including FedEx and UPS, have expressed strong interest in serving the airport.
LTH will open with a handling capacity of 2.6 million passengers, expanding quickly to 15 million by the end of 2027. The long-term plan calls for four terminals with a combined capacity of 100 million passengers across multiple development phases. Around 5-10% of traffic is expected to be domestic, feeding international services.
Infrastructure upgrades are underway, including road expansions and a planned high-speed rail link to Ho Chi Minh City.
The government has pressed for completion before the end of 2025, and Thanh said ACV is working closely with contractors and suppliers to meet the deadline. The corporation’s chairman has also engaged European equipment providers to address potential supply chain bottlenecks.
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