Division of Long Thanh - Tan Son Nhat airport exploitation: Must take customer needs as the center

Experts recommend that the exploitation of Long Thanh airport should be based on the actual needs of passengers and businesses, avoiding the shock of "more harm than good" in the initial stage.

International conference "Long Thanh - Tan Son Nhat international airport pair: Shaping the national aviation gateway, towards a regional transit center in the new era" on September 11 - Photo: CONG TRUNG

Recently, there have been many opinions surrounding the question of whether all international flights should be transferred from Tan Son Nhat airport to Long Thanh when this new airport comes into operation.

Although the plan under discussion will "concentrate" all international flights to Long Thanh, experts recommend that it should be based on the actual needs of passengers and businesses, avoiding the shock of "more harm than good" in the initial stage.

This was also a hotly discussed topic at the international conference "Long Thanh - Tan Son Nhat International Airport Pair: Shaping the National Aviation Gateway, towards a Regional Transit Center in the New Era" on September 11 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Concerns about fragmentation and loss of transit customers

At the workshop, a representative of the Incheon Airport Consortium (IAC), the consulting unit for ACV, presented two main options for dividing exploitation.

Option 1 : transfer all international flights to Long Thanh, Tan Son Nhat only operates domestic flights. At that time, Tan Son Nhat is expected to serve 29.5 million domestic passengers/year, while Long Thanh will receive 19.1 million international passengers and a small portion of domestic transit passengers.

The advantages are centralization, reducing the risk of confusion, saving costs and affirming Long Thanh as an international transit center. The disadvantage is that passengers in Ho Chi Minh City who fly short-distance international flights will be inconvenienced because they have to travel more than 40km.

Option 2 : Divide by flight distance. In addition to domestic flights, Tan Son Nhat will retain about 20% of international flights, mainly short routes under 1,000km with 3.8 million passengers/year.

Long Thanh operates all long-haul and most international routes, with about 15.3 million passengers per year. This approach makes it more convenient for Ho Chi Minh City passengers to fly within the region, while also taking advantage of existing infrastructure. However, operating costs increase due to the need to maintain two international hubs in parallel, which can easily fragment the flight network and weaken Long Thanh's transit capacity.

Mr. Lim Dongmin, acting project director of the Incheon Joint Venture, warned: "If both airports operate internationally, there will be duplication of personnel, immigration procedures and confusion for passengers.

About 3.3% of transit passengers may choose Bangkok or Singapore because it is more convenient."

Flight operated at Tan Son Nhat - Photo: CONG TRUNG

Listen to customer needs, don't rush to move to Long Thanh

Contributing to the workshop, Dr. Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son said that the division of exploitation cannot be discussed only in theory, but must come from the experience of passengers - the real "customers" of the airport.

"If the international terminal is more than 40km away from the domestic terminal, what percentage of passengers are willing to transfer? If they do not accept, what will be the efficiency of Long Thanh airport?", he asked.

According to Mr. Son, the aviation industry is currently revolving around two options: moving all international flights to Long Thanh from 2026; only moving long-haul international flights, keeping short flights at Tan Son Nhat.

"But there may be other options that require consultation and criticism from scientists and experts at home and abroad," Mr. Son suggested.

From his experience with recent international flights, Mr. Son said that most passengers choose to transfer between international and domestic flights, instead of transferring through a domestic airport because it is "inconvenient and takes more time".

He emphasized: "The aviation industry must put the feelings and needs of passengers - those who directly use the service - first."

The research team of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (Dr. Hoang Thu Hang, Dr. Nguyen Van Dung, Mr. Trinh Huynh Quang Canh) also warned that the travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh is currently about 1.5 hours, while the railway and beltway are not yet completed, easily causing congestion.

"If some low-cost and regional airlines still fly from Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh will have difficulty attracting long-haul partners. The experience of Kuala Lumpur Subang - KLIA shows that passengers are confused and airlines are hesitant to move," Mr. Canh said, emphasizing the need for a synchronized customs system and digital logistics to reduce risks for the cargo terminal.

Civil Aviation Authority listens to diverse opinions

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hai Hang - Director of Vietnam Aviation Academy - emphasized that Vietnam's aviation industry is recovering strongly, and it is necessary to exploit Long Thanh effectively and harmoniously. According to the research team of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, if some low-cost airlines or regional routes continue to fly from Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh will have difficulty attracting long-haul partners.

Mr. Uong Viet Dung - Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam - said that exploiting Long Thanh is an "unprecedented problem", requiring a scientific, transparent plan and a clear transition scenario.

The ultimate goal is to build Long Thanh into a modern international transit hub, competing with regional hubs, without disrupting the air transport chain, nor abandoning the strategic role of Tan Son Nhat.

Up to now, the Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that it has not yet finalized a final plan, but continues to listen to diverse opinions, from experts to passengers.

It is expected that by the end of 2025, the Long Thanh project will complete phase 1 and officially operate from mid-2026, a major turning point for Vietnamese aviation, but it needs to be implemented harmoniously, putting customer needs at the center.

Proposing effective exploitation solutions between Long Thanh - Tan Son Nhat

To effectively exploit Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat airports, Mr. Ngo Viet Nam Son proposed building a three-step roadmap.

First phase: Long Thanh reduces the load on Tan Son Nhat, focusing more on cargo, aircraft repair and maintenance.

Phase two: when the connecting transport infrastructure (highway, metro, beltway) is completed, then most international flights will be transferred.

Phase three: Long Thanh becomes the leading hub in Southeast Asia, but Tan Son Nhat still plays an important role in the region, developing towards an urban airport, serving charter, private jet and commercial services.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phan-chia-khai-thac-san-bay-long-thanh-tan-son-nhat-phai-lay-nhu-cau-khach-hang-lam-trung-tam-20250911154653942.htm