Long Thanh International Airport Expected to Begin Commercial Operations at Midnight on December 24, 2026

Long Thanh International Airport is expected to begin commercial operations at midnight on December 24, 2026. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) gave the date in a notice it recently sent to the Dong Nai city People's Committee, and asked the city to direct relevant agencies and units to coordinate with and support the corporation in completing preparations within their respective responsibilities and authority, so that the launch is smooth and safe.

In its initial phase the airport is expected to handle up to 366 flights per week, made up of 322 domestic and 44 international services. Domestic carriers will introduce operations gradually. Vietnam Airlines is expected to operate the Long Thanh-Hanoi route and several international services, while Vietjet Air plans domestic routes linking Long Thanh with major economic and tourism centres across the country.

Flight allocations and operational plans are being developed through coordination among management agencies, airport operators and airlines. That work takes into account slot coordination parameters and operating schedules at both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, as well as relevant regulations, international air service agreements and actual conditions. ACV said many international airlines have also expressed interest in and support for operating services at Long Thanh.

Preparations are being accelerated. Construction of Component Project 3, which covers essential airport facilities, is about 86% complete. Four of the 16 main bidding packages are finished, and the remaining 12 are being fast-tracked for completion in December.

A new airport opening alongside an established one rarely behaves like added capacity on a single map. Airlines have to decide which flights move, which stay, and which new routes start from the new field, and the slot coordination work ACV describes, spanning both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat, is where those choices become binding. The initial split of 322 domestic against 44 international weekly services shows the opening schedule leans heavily on domestic flying, with international growth following as carriers commit.

For business aviation and charter users in southern Vietnam, a second major airport changes how access, handling and ground transfer have to be planned. Which terminals, ramps and handling arrangements are available to non-scheduled traffic from day one is something operators will want to confirm directly rather than assume from the airline schedule.

The next milestone is the completion of the remaining 12 main bidding packages, which ACV is targeting for December, ahead of the December 24 start. The pace of that work, and the airline-by-airline flight allocations still being developed, will show whether the opening date holds as planned.