Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh has urged the Transport Ministry to direct contractors to finish the upgrade of runways at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports and put them into operation before the year-end - the peak travel season.

Air carriers have temporarily suspended international flights to Vietnam to wait for specific instructions on quarantine standards.

The burning of straw, plant byproducts and other waste on fields near airports produces smoke that affects visibility for pilots and poses a high risk to flight safety, said an official from Northern Airports Authority..

The cost repairing the runways at the nation’s two largest international airports, Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, has led to a severe backlog occurring in terms of the flight schedule of both aviation hubs with many flights forced to be canceled.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has approved a plan to shut the runways and taxiways at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat airport and Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport for repair and upgrade starting from July 1, 

Two projects worth a total VND4 trillion (USD173.91 million) to upgrade runways at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports will be started by the end of this month.

Noi Bai International Airport has put into operation a mobile disinfection chamber in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the community.

Hundreds of aircraft have crammed themselves into the parking area of a deserted Noi Bai Airport as the travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 has seen tourism activities come to a halt and the majority of flights cancelled.

Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi has intensified the control over the entry of passengers as part of measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Funding to repair and upgrade Vietnam’s two largest international airports – Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in HCMC – has been denied as they are not listed among the mid-term public investment projects.

Vietnam Airlines has moved to thoroughly disinfect all aircraft that operate on international routes to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and ensure the safety of passengers, flight crews, and the wider community.

State management agencies are at a loss in finding suitable capital for improving the runways at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) said 21 airports that it is managing and operating are expected to serve a total of 127 million passengers in 2020, a year-on-year rise of 10 percent.

The Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) held a ceremony on December 7 to welcome the flight coded VN216 from Tan Son Nhat airport to Noi Bai airport, the 900,000th safe flights operated by VATM in 2019.

The Ministry of Transport has asked the government to consider allocating capital for the upgrade of runways at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports.

Despite growing interest, the ­opportunities for private domestic and foreign investors at the new terminal of Tan Son Nhat ­International Airport remain few and far between, ­triggering concerns over regulatory impediments.