HANOI (VnExpress/Vietnam News): Long Thanh International Airport is expected to open to commercial flights at midnight on Dec. 24, initially handling up to 366 flights a week, 322 of them domestic and 44 international.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) gave the date in a notice sent to the Dong Nai People's Committee. It asked the city to have relevant agencies help the corporation finish preparations so the launch runs smoothly and safely.
Domestic airlines will start operating at the new airport in stages. Vietnam Airlines is expected to fly the Long Thanh-Hanoi route and several international routes, while Vietjet plans domestic services linking Long Thanh with major economic and tourism centers nationwide.
Management agencies, airport operators and airlines are jointly drawing up flight allocations and operating plans, taking into account slot coordination and schedules at both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Many international airlines have also voiced interest in and support for flying to Long Thanh, ACV said.
Spanning 5,000 hectares in Dong Nai, about 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City, Long Thanh is Vietnam's largest airport by area.
Its first phase is designed to handle 25 million passengers a year, with capacity set to reach 100 million once the project is complete. -- VnExpress/Vietnam News
