In preparation for commercial operations in December 2026, the new International Airport of Long Thanh in southern Dong Nai city is set to conduct three rounds of Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) trials: Phase 1 across September and October 2026, Phase 2 in November, and Phase 3 in December 2026, according to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV).
These comprehensive trials and drills follow three distinct operational scenarios, focusing on four core areas: passenger services and ground connectivity, baggage handling, airside operations, as well as security, safety, and IT systems. The objective is to identify potential risks, test operations, and verify the overall readiness of systems, infrastructure, and personnel before opening the airport.
Regarding construction progress, Component Project 3—which covers essential airport facilities—comprises 16 contract packages. To date, executed work value has reached nearly 86% of the total contract value. Among these, four packages have been completed, eight are on schedule with several elements exceeding 90% completion.
However, four critical-path packages face scheduling pressures: the passenger terminal, internal airport road networks and utility infrastructure, cargo terminal No. 1, and the multi-story parking facility. Contractors are mobilizing additional resources and re-organizing construction shifts to safeguard the December 2026 operational deadline.
ACV plans to commission the mega-airport in three distinct stages. Initial operations from December 2026 through March 2027 will run at 6% to 10% of design capacity, handling 20 to 30 flights daily—primarily domestic routes and short-haul international services.
Throughput will scale up to roughly 50% between April and October 2027, before reaching full design capacity with a complete international and domestic network in time for the airline industry’s winter schedule later that year.
During a recent working inspection on the Long Thanh International Airport project and its connecting transit routes, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc instructed ACV to submit a comprehensive project status report before October 7. The report must detail contractor bottlenecks, provide clear completion timelines across all packages, and lay out specific phased-operation schemes along with essential criteria to ensure safe and effective airport commissioning.
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