Work commences on Vietjet’s $65 mln aircraft maintenance center

Vietjet Aviation JSC on Tuesday held a groundbreaking ceremony for its aircraft maintenance center (Hangars No. 3 and No. 4) at Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.

According to the airline, the center covers an area of 8.4 hectares, with a total investment of nearly VND1.7 trillion ($64.6 million).

The facility is designed to meet international standards and can service up to 10 aircraft simultaneously, featuring a fully integrated technical infrastructure that complies with global aviation requirements.

Once operational, the project is expected to generate 500-600 high-quality jobs for engineers and technicians, while also contributing to the development of skilled human resources in the aviation sector.

At the ceremony, Nguyen Minh Hoi, member of the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board, stated that the presence of this project not only contributes to completing the aviation service ecosystem at the airport, but also promotes the development of high-tech industries, enhances the quality of human resources, and creates sustainable growth momentum for Dong Nai and the surrounding region.

He emphasized that the project will become a “key link” in the aviation service value chain of the Long Thanh International Airport, attracting more domestic and foreign investors and gradually forming a modern, competitive air transit hub in the region and the world.

Located about 40 km east of HCMC, Long Thanh International Airport is Vietnam’s biggest aviation infrastructure project to date, with a total investment of VND336.63 trillion ($14.12 billion). The airport is being developed in three phases.

The first phase, nearing completion and slated for opening next year, includes one runway, a passenger terminal, and auxiliary facilities designed to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually.

Phase 2, scheduled by 2035, will expand capacity to 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tons of cargo by adding a second runway and terminal.

In the final phase, Long Thanh is expected to reach full operational capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo per year by 2050.

Once completed, the 5,000-hectare airport will help ease congestion at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which currently operates beyond its 25-million-passenger capacity.

Long Thanh International Airport is expected to join global mega airports capable of handling at least 100 million passenger arrivals annually by the next decade, said a report by UK-based aviation analytics firm OAG.