Noi Bai International Airport

History

The airport was developed immediately south of the Phúc Yên Air Base and opened on 2 January 1978. Civil operation was only between communist countries, with international flights from China, East Germany, Soviet Union, and after the unification, adding other countries in the Southeast Asia region. Handling these flights were a set of three small buildings: Terminal G2 (Vietnamese: Ga 2 - Ga Quốc tế đi) for international departures, Terminal G3 (Vietnamese: Ga 3 - Ga hàng không đường bay trong nước) for domestic departures and arrivals, and Terminal G4 (Vietnamese: Ga 4 - Ga Quốc tế đến) for international arrivals. These terminals were continuously renovated to handle the increasing number of flights. However, in the end they were too small for the actual need, and the new terminal was built and was completed to operate in 2001. The old terminals were then demolished to make place for the current cargo terminal.

In 2005, Tiger Airways started thrice-weekly flights between Hanoi and Singapore after launching direct flights between Hồ Chí Minh City and Singapore becoming the first budget airline to operate in Vietnam. It was later joined by low-cost carrier AirAsia when they launched direct flights between Hanoi and Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

The second runway (1B – 11R/29L) opened in 2006 and the following year the airport hosted an Airbus A380 for the first time, although no scheduled A380 services are operated from the airport. 2013 saw the first arrival of a Cargolux Boeing 747-8F. In 2014, the airport received its first scheduled service with the newest generation of commercial aircraft when All Nippon Airways started using a Boeing 787-8 on services between to Tokyo–Haneda and later the same year the airport received its first visit of Airbus A350 XWB operated by Airbus on World Tour trip. In 2015, Vietnam Airlines started to operate the Airbus A350 XWB for commercial domestic flights.

The airport has been a SkyTeam hub since mid-2010, after Vietnam Airlines joined the network that year.

Terminals and facilities

At 650 hectares, Noi Bai is the second-largest airport in Vietnam, behind the 800 hectare Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Terminal 1, completed in 2001, used to be the sole terminal handling both domestic and international flights. However, with the opening of the second terminal, it is now reassigned to handle domestic flights only. The terminal saw its first extension in 2013 with the inauguration of the new lobby E, and was capable of handling 9 million passengers per annum. The terminal is currently being upgraded to handle 15 million passengers annually upon completion in March 2018.

The construction of the new terminal (Terminal 2) next to the existing one with a designed capacity of 10 million passengers per annum started in March 2012. The 996 m long new terminal building, funded by a Japan International Cooperation Agency ODA loan was designed by Japan Airport Consultants and was built by Taisei Corporation. The total investment for the project was ¥75.5 billion (US$645.35 million). Japan's official development assistance accounted for ¥59 billion ($504.27 million) of the investment, while the remaining amount was covered by local funds. The new international terminal was inaugurated on 4 January 2015 together with a new freeway connecting the airport to downtown Hanoi via the Nhật Tân Bridge

In May 2025, the second terminal (Terminal 2), now has expansion projects aimed to increase the terminal's capacity to 15 million passengers annually, from the previous 10 million passengers annually. This is to be completed in 2026. Funding for the expansion costs 4.6 trillion VND (US$174.64 million), paid by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam. The expansion will add 61,100m² of floor and renovate 18.730m² of floor. It will add 4 check-in islands, 6 baggage conveyor belts, add 96 traditional check-in counters, add 10 check-in kiosks, and 14 jet bridges of both Code C and E.

The airport has a 3,800-meter paved runway (CAT II – 11R/29L) which opened in August 2006 and an older 3,200-meter paved runway (CAT I – 11L/29R). The older runway was closed for upgrades for 4 months from August to December 2014. The distance between the two runways is only 250 metres, so the airport currently restricts the maximum passenger capacity in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization safety regulations.

The AMAN/DMAN system was implemented at the airport in October 2021 to manage and arrange the shortest flight trajectory of each flight, allowing to increased passenger capacity and airspace operations.

Awards

Following the inauguration of the new international terminal, the Noi Bai International Airport received the World's Most Improved Airport Award from Skytrax.

The construction project of the new Noi Bai international terminal also received the JICA President Award for 2015.

Transit

One can generally do an international transit through the airport without a visa as long as one does not need to leave the security area. There is the ability to pick up boarding passes within the security area including for some low cost airlines like VietJet.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

| 9 Air | Guangzhou | Air China | Beijing–Capital, Hangzhou, Shanghai–Pudong | AirAsia Cambodia | Phnom Penh | All Nippon Airways | Tokyo–Narita | arkia | Tel Aviv | Bamboo Airways | Da Lat, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon Charter: Lijiang, | Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong | Cebu Pacific | Clark (begins 2 May 2026) | Chengdu Airlines | Chengdu–Tianfu | China Airlines | Taipei–Taoyuan | China Eastern Airlines | Beijing–Daxing, Kunming, Shanghai–Pudong, Xi'an, Wuhan | China Southern Airlines | Changsha, Guangzhou, Shenzhen | Citilink | Charter: Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta | Emirates | Dubai–International | Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa | Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | EVA Air | Taipei–Taoyuan | HK Express | Hong Kong | IndiGo | Delhi, Kolkata | IrAero | Irkutsk | Juneyao Air | Shanghai–Pudong | Korean Air | Seoul–Incheon | Lao Airlines | Luang Prabang, Vientiane | Lucky Air | Dali | Myanmar Airways International | Yangon | Philippine Airlines | Manila | Philippines AirAsia | Manila (begins 20 March 2026) | Qatar Airways | Doha | Scoot | Singapore | Shandong Airlines | Jinan, Qingdao | Singapore Airlines | Singapore | Spring Airlines | Lanzhou, Shanghai–Pudong | Starlux Airlines | Taipei–Taoyuan | Sun PhuQuoc Airways | Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc | Thai AirAsia | Bangkok–Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang | Thai Airways International | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi | Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | VietJet Air | Ahmedabad, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Daxing, Buon Ma Thuot, Busan, Can Tho, Chengdu–Tianfu, Chu Lai, Con Dao, Da Lat, Da Nang, Delhi, Denpasar, Dong Hoi, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hiroshima, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hue, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur–International, Mumbai–Shivaji, Nagoya–Centrair, Nha Trang, Osaka–Kansai, Phu Quoc, Phuket, Pleiku, Quy Nhon, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shizuoka (begins 28 April 2026), Siem Reap, Singapore, Taichung, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Narita, Tuy Hoa, Vladivostok, Xi'an, Yangon, Zhangjiajie Seasonal charter: Vladivostok | Vietnam Airlines | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Capital, Beijing–Daxing, Bengaluru, Buon Ma Thuot, Busan, Can Tho, Cebu, Chengdu–Tianfu, Chu Lai, Da Lat, Da Nang, Delhi, Dien Bien, Dong Hoi, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Haikou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hue, Hyderabad, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur–International, London–Heathrow, Luang Prabang, Manila, Melbourne, Milan–Malpensa, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Mumbai–Shivaji, Munich, Nagoya–Centrair, Nha Trang, Osaka–Kansai, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Phnom Penh, Phu Quoc, Pleiku, Quy Nhon, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen, Siem Reap, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Haneda, Tokyo–Narita, Tuy Hoa, Vientiane, Vinh, Yangon |Vietravel Airlines | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Ho Chi Minh City |West Air | Chongqing, Enshi, Hefei |XiamenAir | Fuzhou, Xiamen}}

Cargo

| Aerotranscargo | Delhi, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Hong Kong | Asiana Cargo | Chongqing, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore | Atlas Air | Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore, Taipei–Taoyuan | Cardig Air | Jakarta–Soekarno–Hatta, Shenzhen | Cathay Cargo | Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Penang, Singapore | Emirates SkyCargo | Auckland, Dubai–Al Maktoum | Etihad Cargo | Abu Dhabi, Anchorage, Chittagong | EVA Air Cargo | Taipei–Taoyuan | IndiGo CarGo| Kolkata | Jeju Air Cargo | Seoul–Incheon | K-Mile Air | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong | Korean Air Cargo | Delhi, Dhaka, Navoi, Penang, Seoul–Incheon, Vienna | Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt, Mumbai–Shivaji | Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha | SF Airlines | Hangzhou, Wuhan | Turkmenistan Airlines | Ashgabat

Ground transportation

The future lines 2 and 6 of Hanoi Metro are planned to be extended to the airport.

Statistics

Future Expansions

There are also plans to expand the airport to 63 million passengers per year by 2030, and to 100 million passengers per year by 2050. In addition, a proposed Terminal 3 is expected to be designed and built to the south of the airport, as well as a third and fourth runway.

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