If the plan comes to fruition, Noi Bai would get two new runways and multiple new terminals in the future.
VnExpress reports that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted a plan for approval that lays out Noi Bai's expansion through 2030, with a vision toward 2050. The Ministry of Transport will now take the proposal into consideration.
Accordingly, the airport would eventually be able to handle the world's largest passenger aircraft, including the A380.
By the end of this decade, the CAAV aims for Noi Bai to have a capacity of 63 million passengers per year, as well as 2 million tons of cargo annually. To achieve this goal, a third runway would be built south Vo Nguyen Giap Street, just over two kilometers away from the current runways.
Meanwhile, the T2 terminal would be expanded to accommodate up to 40 million annual passengers, and a third terminal would be built to handle an additional 30 million people.
Furthermore, by 2050, Noi Bai would have a capacity of 100 million passengers per year thanks to the construction of a fourth runway and a fourth terminal, as well as a fifth terminal if needed.
In 2019, the capital's airport welcomed 29 million passengers, an increase from 26 million in 2018, though the actual capacity of the facility is only 25 million people.
Currently, one of Noi Bai's runways is closed for repairs after it became severely degraded due to overuse.
[Photo via Hanoi Times]
