The overload has caused visible cracks and subsidence on the surface of the runways at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

In the proposal submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the ministry said it is urgent to renovate runways at the country’s two largest and busiest airports.

The Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports are under great pressure due to increase in air travel demand, it said, adding that the runways at the two airports in Hanoi and HCM City currently handle a number of flights beyond capacity.

The overload has caused visible cracks and subsidence on the surface of the runways, affecting the operations of large airplanes.

Though the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the operator of domestic civilian airports, has provided funding for the two airports to repair the damage, the ministry said it is just a temporary solution. If the runways are not properly upgraded, it will pose risks to aviation safety, it noted.

The runway renovation projects are estimated to cost around 4.2 trillion VND, or 184 million USD .

The two airports were estimated to serve about 64 million passengers last year. Of that, Tan Son Nhat Airport transported 38 million passengers and Noi Bai Airport, 26 million passengers. VNA