Vietnam's largest passenger jet to land at Long Thanh Airport in first technical flight

A Boeing 787 widebody operated by Vietnam Airlines will depart from Tan Son Nhat Airport, 40 km away in Ho Chi Minh City, and land at Long Thanh at 3:30 p.m. for a technical test flight, part of final preparations before the new airport begins handling passenger services on Dec. 19.

The Boeing 787 is the largest aircraft currently in operation with Vietnamese airlines, with a maximum capacity of around 340 passengers. As this was a technical flight, the aircraft carried only flight crew and technical staff, and returned to Ho Chi Minh City shortly after landing.

During the test, the aircraft conducted a full sequence of departure, approach and landing procedures to assess operational coordination between Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh, two of southern Vietnam’s most important aviation hubs.

Air traffic controllers, technical teams, meteorological staff, flight procedure units and search-and-rescue forces have undergone extensive training and shift scheduling under operational manuals approved through multiple assessment rounds, in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO).

Earlier, on Dec. 10, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam inspected simulator-based training for Long Thanh air traffic controllers, including scenarios involving severe weather, navigation system failures and in-flight emergencies. The review concluded that coordination and response capabilities met operational requirements.

According to Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) deputy CEO Nguyen Tien Viet, critical infrastructure, including the runway, aircraft apron, air traffic control tower, technical systems and basic ceremonial preparations, has been completed.

On Dec. 19, Long Thanh is expected to welcome its first three passenger-carrying flights, with aircraft operated by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways scheduled to land about five minutes apart.

Under the Ministry of Construction’s plan, official flight operations will proceed only if the Dec. 15 technical flight meets all safety and performance benchmarks.

Phase 1 of Long Thanh International Airport spans 1,810 hectares and has been under construction since January 2021. The airport is designed to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually, with full commercial operations targeted for mid-2026.