Vietnam's largest airport Long Thanh to open on Dec 24 with up to 366 flights a week

Long Thanh International Airport is a major new airport in Dong Nai, about 40 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. It is Vietnam's largest airport by area, covering 5,000 hectares. Its first phase is designed to handle 25 million passengers each year. That makes its development important for Vietnam's future air travel capacity.

The article says domestic airlines will begin operating there in stages. Vietnam Airlines is expected to serve Hanoi and several international destinations. Vietjet plans domestic links between Long Thanh and major economic and tourism centers nationwide. Agencies and airlines are preparing flight allocations and operating plans for both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat.

The supplied article does not mention December 24 or identify an event scheduled for that date. It does say ACV sent a notice to the Dong Nai People's Committee and asked local agencies to help complete preparations for a smooth, safe launch. Further launch details are therefore not available in the source.

The clearest capacity figure in the article is passenger capacity, not weekly flight volume. Long Thanh's first phase is designed to handle 25 million passengers a year. That indicates a substantial initial operating scale, even though the source does not provide a flight-per-week target.

The airport will open domestic services in stages. Vietnam Airlines is expected to operate the Long Thanh-Hanoi route and several international routes. Vietjet plans domestic flights linking Long Thanh with major economic and tourism centers across Vietnam. These services will be planned alongside operations at Tan Son Nhat.

A precise weekly flight number cannot be calculated from the article. Passenger capacity alone does not reveal aircraft sizes, load factors, route frequencies, or the balance between domestic and international flights. The source gives only the annual first-phase capacity and says agencies are jointly preparing flight allocations, schedules, and slot coordination.

Long Thanh's opening will involve both Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet. The airlines are expected to provide different kinds of connections, giving the new airport a mix of domestic and international services. This staged start matters because the airport is beginning operations while plans are still being coordinated.

Vietnam Airlines is expected to operate the Long Thanh-Hanoi route and several international routes. Vietjet plans domestic services connecting Long Thanh with major economic and tourism centers across the country. These examples show how the airport could connect Dong Nai and the wider Ho Chi Minh City region with important destinations.

The exact route list and timetable are not provided. Management agencies, airport operators, and airlines are jointly preparing flight allocations and operating plans. They are considering slot coordination and schedules at both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat. Many international airlines have also expressed interest and support for flying to Long Thanh.

Long Thanh is being developed in Dong Nai, about 40 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, while Tan Son Nhat continues operating in the same broader metropolitan area. The article presents the two airports together because their flights, schedules, and allocations must be planned as one connected system.

The practical mechanism is coordination. Management agencies, airport operators, and airlines are jointly drawing up operating plans. They are considering slots and schedules at both airports, so services can be assigned and managed across the two facilities rather than planned in isolation.

However, the source does not state the reason for choosing Long Thanh's location or explicitly say that it is intended to relieve Tan Son Nhat. It only identifies Long Thanh's distance from Ho Chi Minh City and confirms joint planning with Tan Son Nhat. Any claim about land availability, urban growth, or congestion would go beyond the supplied article.

Opening Long Thanh could change how flights and passengers are distributed across the Ho Chi Minh City region. A second operating airport creates another place for airlines to schedule services. However, the supplied article does not quantify how many flights or passengers would move from Tan Son Nhat, or whether congestion there would fall.

The key mechanism is coordinated allocation. Agencies, operators, and airlines are preparing plans that consider slots and schedules at both airports. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet are expected to start Long Thanh services in stages. This means route timing and airline operations will be organized across the two airports rather than treated separately.

The immediate reality is preparation, not a published traffic forecast. Long Thanh's first phase is designed for 25 million passengers annually, but that is capacity, not a prediction of transferred passengers. The article therefore supports an expectation of changed scheduling and traffic distribution, while leaving the effect on Tan Son Nhat congestion unstated.

International airlines have expressed interest in and support for flying to Long Thanh. That is the article's clear evidence of potential international demand. The airport's first phase is designed to handle 25 million passengers annually, giving airlines a substantial planned facility for future services.

The airport is also being prepared for international operations. Vietnam Airlines is expected to fly several international routes from Long Thanh, while agencies and airlines are coordinating flight allocations and schedules. This planning creates a framework in which international carriers could be assigned operating times and incorporated into the airport's launch.

The source does not explain why individual international airlines are interested. It gives no details about markets, commercial forecasts, or specific foreign carriers. It therefore supports only a limited conclusion: airlines have shown interest and support, while Long Thanh is being designed and scheduled to accommodate international flying as operations begin.

An airport slot is a planned time window that allows an airline to schedule an aircraft arrival or departure at an airport. Slots help manage runway, terminal, and other operating capacity when demand is high. They are especially important when airlines are building schedules across more than one airport serving the same city.

For Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat, coordination means agencies, operators, and airlines compare planned flight times and allocations at both airports. They can organize services around available operating capacity and avoid schedules that clash with airport resources. The article specifically says their plans take slot coordination and schedules at both airports into account.

The source does not provide slot numbers or explain the detailed allocation rules. It does show that coordinated planning is already underway before Long Thanh begins staged operations. This matters because the new airport will add services while Tan Son Nhat remains part of the region's airport system.