HÀ NỘI — Three flights operated by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways will make the first official “inaugural landings” at Long Thành International Airport in the southern province of Đồng Nai on December 19.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Construction on Monday noon issued an official dispatch to the three domestic airlines, requesting them to operate official flights to this mega project, currently in the final stretches to the finishing line.

The national carrier Vietnam Airlines will operate a Boeing 787 flight departing from Hà Nội at 6:15am, carrying delegates and senior Party and State leaders, and landing at Long Thành at 8:00am.

Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways will use A320/A321 aircraft on flights departing Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City at 8:00am and landing at Long Thanh at 8:40 am, carrying flight crews and technical staff.

The aviation administration also requested the airlines to proactively coordinate with Long Thành International Airport to prepare operating conditions for the airside system in line with airline requirements. At the same time, they are to prepare aircraft, flight crews and necessary technical personnel as required.

Previously, during an inspection of Long Thành Airport on December 14, leaders of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) reported to the Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính that Vietnam Airlines would operate the first technical flight at Long Thành International Airport on December 15.

Regarding the project’s progress, sub-project 1 (headquarters of management agencies) is under construction and on track to be completed before December 19. For sub-project 2 (air traffic management facilities), the air traffic control tower is being completed and equipment installed to serve technical flights, in line with the overall project schedule.

Sub-project 3 (construction of essential airport facilities) comprises 15 contract packages, of which three have been completed, while 12 are currently under construction.

In addition to runway No 1 and two connecting transport routes, other components, including the passenger terminal, taxiways, aprons and runway No 2, are being implemented in parallel and are expected to be basically completed before December 19. This will ensure conditions for technical flights and enable commercial operations to begin in the first half of 2026.

For sub-project 4 (construction of other supporting facilities), priority projects serving phase 1 operations are being actively implemented by investors, with efforts to basically complete construction before December 19, ensuring synchronised operations in line with the overall project schedule. — VNS