Expanding the planning space of Gia Binh International Airport

Gia Binh is a new international airport, located in Gia Binh district (now Xuan Lai and Gia Binh communes) of Bac Ninh province.

Upgrade Gia Binh airport

Exactly one year after the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 648/QD-TTg dated June 7, 2023 approving the Master Plan for the development of the national airport and seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, and three months after the Minister of Construction issued Decision No. 347/QD-BXD dated April 3, 2025 approving the adjustment of the above plan, Gia Binh International Airport (Bac Ninh) will assume a larger and more important role in the field of civil aviation.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Construction issued Official Dispatch No. 6757/BXD-KHTDC to the Ministries of National Defense , Public Security, Finance, Agriculture and Environment, Industry and Trade, Culture - Sports and Tourism; and the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province requesting comments on the dossier adjusting the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, according to simplified procedures.

“Due to the urgent time, the Ministry of Construction hopes to receive written comments from agencies before July 17, 2025. After this deadline, if the agencies have not yet submitted written comments, the Ministry of Construction understands that the agencies agree with the content of the dossier to adjust the Airport System Planning,” Mr. Bui Xuan Dung, Deputy Minister of Construction, requested.

It should be added that most of the important adjustments to the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, are related to the role of Gia Binh International Airport - the airport that will be under construction from December 2024.

In the dossier adjusting the Master Plan for the development of the national airport and seaport system for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the Aviation Construction Design and Consulting Company Limited (ADCC) said that in July 2025, the Politburo gave its opinion to the Government Party Committee on Gia Binh International Airport.

Specifically, the Politburo allowed the planning adjustment to increase the capacity of Gia Binh International Airport to 30 million passengers/year, 1.6 million tons of cargo/year in the period 2021-2030; about 50 million passengers/year, 2.5 million tons of cargo/year with a vision to 2050. The scale of land use is adjusted in accordance with the capacity, including reserves in case demand exceeds forecast.

The Politburo also allows planning adjustments to be made according to the simplified procedures prescribed in Article 54a of the Law on Planning.

It is known that in Decision No. 347/QD-BXD, Gia Binh International Airport has a designed capacity of about 5 million passengers/year in the period of 2021-2030; about 15 million passengers/year with a vision to 2050; land area of about 408.5 hectares. By April 2025, the Minister of Transport issued Decision No. 408/QD-BXD approving the adjustment of the Planning of Gia Binh International Airport for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

According to the adjusted planning, Gia Binh International Airport has an area of 408.5 hectares, airport level 4E (according to the standard code of the International Civil Aviation Organization - ICAO); capacity of about 5 million passengers/year and 250,000 tons of cargo/year; types of aircraft operated are B777, B787, A350, A321 and other special and specialized aircraft...

By 2050, Gia Binh International Airport will maintain its 4E airport level (according to ICAO standard code), but its capacity will increase to 15 million passengers/year and 1 million tons of cargo/year.

In the Planning adjustment dossier, ADCC proposed to adjust the capacity of Gia Binh International Airport in the period of 2021 - 2025 to 30 million passengers/year, cargo throughput to 1.6 million tons; vision to 2050 to 50 million passengers/year and 2.5 million tons of cargo throughput. The area of Gia Binh International Airport increased from 408.5 hectares to 1,960 hectares. "It is estimated that the investment capital demand for Gia Binh International Airport in the period up to 2030 is 95,706 billion VND; in the period up to 2050 is 82,923 billion VND", ADCC representative calculated.

Reduce pressure on Noi Bai

According to ADCC, along with performing the tasks of private aircraft and civil aviation, Gia Binh International Airport will effectively support Noi Bai International Airport - identified as the main international aviation gateway of Hanoi Capital and the Northern Key Economic Zone, planned for 55 million passengers in the period of 2021-2030 and 85 million passengers in 2050, which is overloaded and facing difficulties in expansion.

In addition to infrastructure pressure, the quality of aviation services at Noi Bai International Airport is still far behind that of leading airports in the region. In the Passenger Satisfaction Index (ASQ) rankings of the Airports Council International (ACI), Noi Bai International Airport is not currently ranked among the top in the region, despite its role as the “gateway” to the capital.

The above reality requires Noi Bai International Airport to change drastically if it wants to become an international airport in the region. Although there are plans for expansion and upgrade (Terminal T3 is expected to open a southern runway after 2030...), these improvements will take many years to materialize.

“Gia Binh will be an opportunity to build a new generation smart airport according to world-leading standards right from the start, through the application of 4.0 technology, green design, integration of modern service ecosystem, thereby creating a new image for Vietnam's aviation industry,” ADCC representative analyzed.

The Gia Binh International Airport airspace is located near the Noi Bai International Airport airspace, with the distance between the two airports being only about 43 km. In the context of the overall capacity of the airspace being determined to be finite, the addition and adjustment of the capacity of Gia Binh International Airport will not increase the overall capacity of the shared airspace, but will require a corresponding reduction in the capacity of Noi Bai International Airport and the reallocation of traffic between the two airports.

Therefore, along with adjusting the planned capacity of Gia Binh International Airport, it is necessary to adjust the corresponding capacity of Noi Bai International Airport in the National Airport Master Plan.

Currently, ADCC and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam have agreed to reduce the capacity of Noi Bai International Airport. In the period of 2021-2030, Noi Bai International Airport has an expected capacity of about 35 million passengers/year; by 2050, the expected capacity is about 60 million passengers/year.

This is also the next content that needs to be adjusted in the Master Plan for the development of the national airport and seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

In addition, the estimated investment cost according to the planning for 31 airports and airfields nationwide in the period up to 2030 mentioned in Decision No. 648/QD-TTg is about 438,000 billion VND and about 601,371 billion VND by 2050. When adding Gia Binh International Airport to the national airport and airfield system, it is necessary to adjust the estimated investment cost according to the planning for 31 airports and airfields nationwide in the period up to 2030 to about 513,130 billion VND and about 675,150 billion VND by 2050.

In the dossier adjusting the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, ADCC also clarified the impact of Gia Binh International Airport on the second airport in the capital region. "The establishment of Gia Binh International Airport in Bac Ninh will not affect the establishment of the second airport in the capital region, nor will it affect the sharing of passenger and cargo capacity between these two airports," the ADCC representative emphasized.

Specifically, the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 648/QD-TTg, in which the vision to 2050 will form 33 airports, including the second airport in the Southeast, South of Hanoi.

According to the adjusted planning dossier, Gia Binh International Airport will be added to the national airport network in the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. This is a new international airport located in Gia Binh district (now Xuan Lai and Gia Binh communes), Bac Ninh province, serving private aircraft and supporting Noi Bai International Airport when overloaded, serving the socio-economic development of Bac Ninh province. The second airport in the capital region serves civil aviation exploitation and socio-economic development of the capital region.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/mo-rong-khong-giant-quy-hoach-cang-hang-khong-quoc-te-gia-binh-d334030.html