Long Thanh International Airport Officially Welcomes its First Commercial Flight
Long Thanh International Airport marked a major milestone on December 19, as a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 carrying Party and State leaders became the first official flight to land at the new airport.
The first official flight to Long ThanhInternational Airport – operated by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines – has landed successfully on Friday.
This is part of a nationwide series of ceremonies launching, inaugurating or technically opening 234 key projects to celebrate the 14th National Party Congress.
At 8.20am, a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 carrying leaders of the Party, State, and central ministries touched down on Runway No. 1, marking the official start of operations for Phase 1 of the Long Thanh International Airport project.
Politburo member and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh is seen on board the Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 as it lands at Long Thanh International Airport
Among the first to disembark were Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh and leaders of ministries and central agencies. The delegation was welcomed by Dong Nai Party Secretary Vu Hong Van and leaders of the provincial People’s Committee.
The arrival of the first commercial passenger flight operated by Vietnam Airlines marked the official start of civil aviation operations at Long Thanh International Airport.
Ceremony for first commercial flight to Long Thanh International Airport
Shortly afterwards, two narrow-body aircraft operated by Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways departed from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City and landed at Long Thanh.
These flights carried flight crews and technical personnel. By midday, the aircraft took off and returned to their points of origin.
A water cannon salute welcomes the first Vietnam Airlines flight to touch down at Long Thanh International Airport.
The airport is expected to become a new aviation gateway for Viet Nam, helping ease pressure on Tan Son Nhat International Airport and supporting long term regional development.
ACV said that despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulties in site clearance, the project has achieved impressive milestones thanks to round-the-clock construction efforts and a determination to overcome adverse conditions.
Key airside components, including the runway, taxiways and apron, have been completed, enabling the airport to receive its first technical flight using a wide-body Boeing 787 on December 15.
Construction of the passenger terminal and connecting transport infrastructure is currently in its final stages, with the airport expected to be ready for commercial operations in the first half of 2026.
ACV said Long Thanh is being developed as a “Smart Green Airport” meeting international five-star standards, featuring breakthrough, home-grown technologies. These include the application of biometric systems from check-in and automated self bag drop to immigration, allowing passengers to travel without traditional identity documents.
The airport will also operate an advanced Airport Operations Control Centre (Smart APOC) and one of the most modern automated baggage handling systems (BHS), directly linked to the national population database.
The terminal of Long Thanh International Airport has been completed and prepared to welcome its first official flight.
Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai broke ground on January 5, 2021. Under Prime Ministerial Decision No. 1777/QĐ-TTg approving Phase I of the investment project, the airport covers an area of up to 5,000 hectares, with total state budget investment exceeding VNĐ109 trillion (US$4 billion), and is scheduled for implementation during the 2020–25 period.
Designed to handle up to 100 million passengers and 25 million tonnes of cargo annually upon full completion, Long Thanh is set to become the largest airport in Viet Nam. Prior to construction, the project underwent a prolonged and complex unexploded ordnance clearance process, carefully carried out across the entire 5,000-hectare site.