The third and most complex component of the Long Thanh International Airport project in southern Dong Nai Province, which includes the passenger terminal and runways, is unlikely to be completed by December 31 this year as planned, according to Vetnam's Ministry of Transport.

In December last year, the prime minister tasked the Ministry of Transport and the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the investor of the third component of the mammoth airport project, with reviewing and building a new plan to complete the component prior to the end of this year.

A leader of the Ministry of Transport said that representatives of the ministry, ACV, and contractors had inspected the construction site of the airport project.

They found that three out of the 16 packages of the third component were completed while seven others were underway.

They are selecting contractors for three packages and finalizing designs for three others, aiming to launch all six within this quarter.

Of the seven ongoing packages, three -- focused on connecting traffic infrastructure, a flight area, and perimeter fences -- are expected to be completed by December 31, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The remaining four packages are scheduled for completion next year. Notably, a package to construct and equip the aircraft parking area and another to develop the fuel supply system are projected to be finished by April 30.

Contractors are striving to complete a package to build internal roads and technical infrastructure facilities before June 2026.

Meanwhile, a package to construct the passenger terminal worth VND35 trillion (US$1.4 billion) will be executed until November 2026.

ACV said it had worked with the contractor of the package -- the Vietur consortium led by Turkey’s IC Ictas and nine Vietnamese firms -- and concluded that its completion time could not be shortened.

ACV explained that key systems such as luggage handling and screening equipment, passenger boarding bridges, and aircraft marshalling systems are being manufactured overseas.

These items are expected to arrive in Vietnam between this year and November next year.

The contractor stated it could accelerate the package timeline by three months, aiming for completion by August 31, 2026. However, this would increase costs by approximately VND1.7 trillion ($67 million).

According to the Ministry of Transport, it is unlikely that the packages under the third component will be completed by December 31 this year, as many are being executed at the same site.

Additionally, the development of other large-scale projects in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai has created a shortage of building materials, further complicating progress.

Aviation-related tasks demand highly skilled labor, limiting package awards to large, capable contractors. However, these contractors are juggling multiple projects simultaneously, making it difficult to dedicate sufficient manpower and equipment to the Long Thanh International Airport project.

Adding to the challenge is the massive workload involved in the project.

In light of these issues, the Ministry of Transport has urged Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to provide guidance on resolving the bottlenecks.

The first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport project is estimated to cost VND110 trillion ($4.3 billion).

The entire project, spanning 5,000 hectares, is projected to require an investment of VND336.63 trillion ($13.3 billion).

Once completed, the airport will be Vietnam's largest, capable of handling 100 million passengers and five million metric tons of cargo annually.

Launched in early 2021, the first phase encompasses four components: headquarters for management agencies, an air traffic control tower, the passenger terminal and runways, and 17 ground service facilities.

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