Calibration flights at Long Thanh airport set for September 26

On September 12, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (under the Ministry of Construction) announced that starting September 26, 2025, it will coordinate with relevant units to conduct inspection and calibration flights at Long Thanh International Airport.

Runway markings underway on Runway 1 at Long Thanh airport to serve flight calibration. Photo: Pham Tung

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) announced that Long Thanh airport has fully prepared the conditions required for flight calibration. Runway 1 has been basically completed, equipment has been installed, and the air traffic control tower is being equipped to meet calibration requirements.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, calibration flights will last for more than 10 days using a Beechcraft B300 aircraft. These flights will be conducted at night or early morning to take advantage of off-peak hours and minimize disruption to commercial operations at Tan Son Nhat airport.

During the process, the flight crew will perform a series of complex maneuvers to test, calibrate, and evaluate the accuracy and stability of navigation and landing systems such as ILS/DME, PAPI, and ALS, while also calibrating PSR/SSR/ADS-B radar systems. Most flights will depart from Tan Son Nhat airport and, depending on weather and conditions, will carry out specific calibration procedures in Long Thanh airspace.

Earlier, from July 31 to August 2, 2025, relevant units conducted flight checks and evaluations of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) procedures at Long Thanh airport. The airport has a total of 68 flight procedures, including 27 Standard Instrument Departures (SID), 33 Standard Terminal Arrivals (STAR), and 8 Instrument Approach Procedures (IAP).

As directed by the Prime Minister, Phase 1 of Long Thanh airport must be substantially completed by the end of 2025 and enter commercial operations in the first half of 2026. ACV expects to welcome the first commercial flight to land at Long Thanh airport on December 19, 2025.

By: Pham Tung

Translated by: Quynh Giao - Minho