Vietnam’s new international airport has begun calibration flights ahead of its 2026 opening, which will see it eventually accommodate 100 million passengers each year.
Long Thanh International Airport will be located 40 kilometres east of Ho Chi Minh City, and is intended to relieve traffic at the city’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
“On September 26, 2025, Long Thanh International Airport marked a significant milestone in its preparation to bring the country's largest airport into operation by conducting its first official calibration flight,” wrote the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.
“Long Thanh International Airport is set to become one of the leading modern international airports in the region, making a significant contribution to the nation's aviation and socio-economic development strategy.”
Long Thanh will cover more than 5,000 hectares, making it the country’s largest by land area. It will also be Vietnam’s largest airport by capacity once fully complete, as its capacity is eventually expected to expand from 2.6 million annual passengers at its opening to 100 million passengers.
Calibration flights will take place until 24 October to test the airport’s aviation equipment systems. Vietnam’s Air Traffic Technical Company will work with Czechia’s Air Navigation Institute to evaluate Long Thanh’s landing systems, navigation, radar, and lighting.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha called on agencies and contractors to accelerate construction last week, ahead of its first technical flight on 19 December. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in August that the airport must receive its first flight by the end of 2025.
Its full operational launch is slated for June 2026. All long-haul flights will then be shifted from Tan Son Nhat to Long Thanh.
Earlier this month, regional authorities in the airport’s Dong Nai province approved a proposal from Vietnamese companies Donacoop Infrastructure Investment and VinaCapital Group to study extending Ho Chi Minh City’s metro system to Long Thanh.
Singapore’s Changi Airport, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, and Incheon International Airport will also likely be able to accommodate 100 million annual passengers within the next decade, per OAG analysis. Neighbouring Cambodia opened a new international airport in Phnom Penh this month.
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