Uplifting the aspiration to rise in the new era

After the successful technical flight on December 15, on December 19, Long Thanh International Airport welcomes its first 3 official flights. This event marks an important milestone in the effort to soon put Long Thanh Airport Project Phase 1, the country's century-long project, into commercial operation. Thereby, it will create a strong development momentum for Dong Nai province and the whole country.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner successfully lands at Long Thanh Airport during the technical flight on December 15, 2025. Photo: Pham Tung

Historic moment

According to the plan, on the morning of December 19, the Long Thanh Airport Project (Phase 1) will host the inauguration ceremony of several facilities and the launch of the first flight.

At the working session with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the Long Thanh Airport Project on December 14, 2025, Nguyen Tien Viet, Deputy General Director in charge of Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), stated: On the morning of December 19, there will be 3 flights from 3 domestic airlines landing at Long Thanh Airport. Among them, for the first official flight to Long Thanh Airport, Vietnam Airlines will use a code E aircraft (Boeing 787 Dreamliner) for the Noi Bai - Long Thanh - Noi Bai route, to carry delegates and high-ranking leaders of the Party and State (not a commercial flight).

Previously, on December 15, the first technical flights to Long Thanh Airport were successfully carried out. Specifically, flights coded VN5001 and VN5002 operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down and took off successfully for the first time at Long Thanh Airport. These flights were operated by Vietnam Airlines, carrying only the flight crew and technical staff, without passengers or cargo on board.According to Dang Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Airlines, the successful landing of a commercial aircraft at Long Thanh Airport is an important milestone in the preparation process for putting the airport into operation, thereby creating a foundation for Long Thanh to become a new aviation connection hub in the region.

Meanwhile, according to ACV, the technical flight on December 15 was the first civil aviation flight to land at Long Thanh Airport, which is important for the final assessment of operating conditions, preparing for the official flight on December 19. This event plays a crucial role in comprehensively evaluating the technical infrastructure, service procedures, and coordination capabilities among units at Vietnam's largest airport.

Recently, ACV has coordinated with Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) to inspect matters related to runways, aprons, navigation systems, passenger terminals, ground service chains, technical work, operational management, flight control, etc. This is considered the final confirmation of Long Thanh Airport's readiness before welcoming the first passenger flight from Noi Bai Airport on December 19.

Also, according to ACV, the successfully landing of the technical flight, performed by Vietnam's largest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has practically assessed the airport's operational capability. It also marks a significant turning point in the progress of the national key "super" project.

Strategic impetus for development

At the working session with relevant units on the Long Thanh Airport Project on December 14, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed that completing the preparations for the inauguration ceremony of some facilities and the launch of the first flight are short-term tasks that need to be done immediately.

In the long term, the head of the Government requested ACV and investors, contractors to continue completing the project items to put them into operation in early 2026. At the same time, ministries and agencies, Dong Nai province immediately implements the contents of Official Dispatch No. 420-TB/VPTW dated November 17, 2025, from the Office of the Party Central Committee regarding the conclusion of the Party General Secretary To Lam at the working session on the Long Thanh Airport Project and the announced conclusions of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Construction. In particular, Dong Nai province coordinates with Ho Chi Minh City to accelerate the progress of traffic connection projects between Long Thanh Airport and Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat Airport, especially the Project to extend the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to the Administrative Center of Dong Nai province and Long Thanh Airport.

"We must immediately implement tasks so that Long Thanh Airport is not merely an airport but also the center of an aviation ecosystem, airport economy, and airport city.” emphasized Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The Resolution of the First Congress of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee for the 2025-2030 term identified that one of the province's key tasks during the term is to develop services with the Long Thanh Airport integrated service urban area serving as the core, including: a free trade center and an aviation - logistics - trade - tourism service ecosystem. The focus is on overcoming bottlenecks, unleashing all resources, ensuring stability and sustainable development; and maximize the spillover effects of Long Thanh Airport in terms of infrastructure investment, traffic connections, urban development, and economic value increase...

At the reception and working session with the China Pacific Construction Group on December 16, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut stated: Currently, Dong Nai province is accelerating the investment progress of infrastructure projects connecting Long Thanh Airport so that when the airport is put into operation, the province will have many development orientations in the coming time.

According to ACV, on the morning of December 19, in addition to the first flight operated by Vietnam Airlines, two flights by Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways will land at Long Thanh Airport, approximately 5 minutes apart.

Currently, in addition to accelerating investment in infrastructure projects connecting Long Thanh Airport, Dong Nai province is also speeding up the planning of the Long Thanh Airport urban area, covering an area of about 43,000 hectares, following a modern, green, smart, globally connected Airport City model to make Long Thanh a leading international aviation - logistics hub in Southeast Asia. At the same time, the province has also identified key drivers to exploit and maximize the potential and advantages of Long Thanh Airport, including the fields of industry; commercial services, logistics; smart cities; education; healthcare. In particular, to enhance the competitiveness of Long Thanh Airport, Dong Nai province has developed a Project to establish a free trade zone with a scale of nearly 7,500 hectares, located within and around this airport.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha