The CHC 25R/07L runway has deteriorated and is no longer safe for operation. In the past, the airport managers had to constantly deal with the cracks, subsidence and the runway surface that keeps peeling off.

Water would pool up on the runway during and after rain.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, in order to ensure aviation safety, the runway will be closed starting from July 1 to December 31 as part of the first phase of plans to repair the runways at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Pham Van Hai, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, they had asked the managers of Tan Son Nhat Airport to have a suitable construction plan to maintain normal operations at the airport and at other runways.

Noi Bai Flight Zone Operation Center also reported similar damage and deterioration at Noi Bai Airport’s runways. The runways are further damaged during hot temperatures.

The Ministry of Transport pointed out since 2017 that both of the airports were overloaded and received far larger planes while the infrastructure is out-dated. If the repair was not carried out, then all of the runways would have to be closed for repair and badly affected the country’s aviation sector as well as socio-economic development.

According to the plan, the runways at Noi Bai Airport would be repaired and taxiways, drainage system and other constructions will be upgraded. Tan Son Nhat Airport will also be repaired and upgraded. The repair project at both airports will each cost VND2trn. The Ministry of Transport has selected contractors and consultants.

The contractors for Noi Bai Airport include ACC Construction, Vietnam Construction Investment Development Company (VINADIC), Truong Son Construction, Transport Engineering Design Inc., Airport Design and Construction Consultancy Company, Consultant and Inspection Joint Stock Company of Construction Technology and Equipment.

The contractors for Tan Son Nhat Airport include Engineering Construction Joint Stock Company4, 647 Aeronautics Project Construction JSC, The Transport Engineering Design Inc, Airport Design and Construction Consultancy Company, Sub-Institute of Transport Science and Technology In Southern Vietnam and South Transport Engineering Design JSC.

Tuan has asked all contractors to follow the schedule and vowed to deal with all possible violations.

This article was originally published in Dtinews