The Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City route moved No. 6 in the study of world’s busiest air routes in 2018, reported by British aviation analysis company OAG.
Last year, Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and VietJet Air made 39,291 flights between Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat Airport, VnExpress reports. The route that links Seoul with Jeju Island, a popular vacation South Korean destination, is the busiest route in the world, followed by Melbourne–Sydney (Australia), Mumbai–New Delhi (India), São Paulo–Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Fukuoka–Tokyo Haneda (Japan).
Last year, the Hanoi–Saigon route was ranked No. 7, but the air travel boom in Vietnam has pushed the route up one place to No. 6.
Eight out of 15 busiest connections are Asian routes. Additionally, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have joined Hong Kong and Singapore to become Asia’s “golden triangle,” functioning like major US hubs Boston, New York and Washington.
The Vietnamese government is beginning to expand the two Vietnamese airports and expedite construction on Long Thanh Airport in Dong Nai to alleviate pressures resulting from the influx of passengers. Tan Son Nhat is currently burdened with 32 million passengers per year while the initial capacity plan was 25 million.
The Long Thanh Airport project is projected to cost VND114.5 trillion (US$5.45 billion), and the first phase of construction will start next year and finish in 2025. By then, the airport will be able to deal with 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo a year with one runway and one terminal.
The feasibility study for the airport is being completed with the help of Japanese and French firms, and environmental impact assessment reports will be conducted this July. While authorities are considering exclusive inter-airport route between Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh, they are still working on site clearance due to be completed in 2021 at an estimated land compensation cost of VND22.9 trillion (US$ 978.7 million).
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