Phan Thiet Airport Civil Aviation Component Under Construction, Terminal Structure Due by End-2026
Why It MattersGreenfield airports in Vietnam are built through investor-led contracts where the province enforces schedules by site inspection, so progress claims and the operating date rest on the developer's reported milestones.
What happened
On the afternoon of October 31, Nguyen Hong Hai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Permanent Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, inspected construction of the civil aviation component of Phan Thiet Airport. The delegation included representatives of various departments, agencies and Mui Ne ward, along with the investor, Phan Thiet Sun Airport Co., Ltd.
The investor reported that structural work on the passenger terminal is expected to be completed by December 31, 2026, and taxiway construction is due to finish by April 2027. Work is under way day and night, including on holidays, with more than 200 workers on site. Overall progress is basically on track with the contract signed between the Provincial People's Committee and the investor.
As of October 26, 2026, the passenger terminal, air traffic control tower, taxiways, aprons, airfield drainage system, project fencing, ground areas and auxiliary facilities were all proceeding to plan. The passenger terminal has completed 100% of pile driving, with foundation and bracing work at 68%. Runway and apron leveling stands at 63%. For the air traffic control tower, pile driving is 100% complete, and installation of reinforcement and formwork for the foundation has also reached 100%.
During the inspection, Nguyen Hong Hai praised the investor's efforts, particularly the simultaneous construction of multiple components, which helped keep the project on its committed schedule. He asked the investor to keep attending to occupational safety and hygiene and environmental protection at the site, to step up progress monitoring and quality control, and to ensure all items are completed as planned so the airport can enter operation as soon as possible.
Industry impact & what to watch
Phan Thiet is being delivered under a contract between the provincial government and a single investor, Phan Thiet Sun Airport Co., Ltd. In that arrangement the province's lever is oversight: site visits like this one, requests for tighter progress monitoring and quality control, and attention to safety and environmental conditions. The progress percentages in circulation are the investor's own figures as of October 26, so they describe the developer's reporting rather than an independent audit.
The sequence of reported milestones is also informative about how a new airport comes together. Foundation-stage work dominates the numbers: pile driving is complete on both the terminal and the control tower, while terminal foundations and bracing sit at 68% and runway and apron leveling at 63%. The terminal structure target of December 31, 2026 and the taxiway target of April 2027 are the next dated checkpoints, and they are the ones against which the claim of being on track can be tested.
No opening date has been stated; the vice chairman's request is for operation "as soon as possible" once all items are finished. For operators and service providers watching the site, the terminal structure deadline at the end of this year and the taxiway completion in April 2027 are the milestones that would first show whether the committed schedule holds.
