The VND11 trillion (US$431 million) T3 terminal at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City is set to begin trial operations next month, with construction completed two months ahead of schedule, airport authorities confirmed.

Starting at 4:00 am on April 24, the terminal will handle its first pilot flights operated by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, flying to Van Don Airport in northern Quang Ninh Province.

Four days later, on April 28, the key route between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will also begin operating out of T3.

The terminal’s official inauguration is scheduled for April 30. By May 5, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet will move all domestic flight operations to T3, while Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, and Vietravel Airlines will continue to operate from T1.

Airlines have raised concerns about potential passenger confusion due to the separation of three terminals at the airport, especially for code-share flights.

For example, code-share flights of Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Airlines using the 'VN' code may cause passengers to mistakenly head to the wrong check-in counter.

To address this, airlines are stepping up efforts to inform travelers about terminal changes through multiple channels, including emails, text messages, and messaging apps like Zalo.

The opening of T3 is also expected to strain ground traffic.

To accommodate increased volume, a new four-kilometer road connecting Tran Quoc Hoan and Cong Hoa Streets, built at a cost of more than VND4.8 trillion ($187.9 million), will open by the end of April.

According to Luong Minh Phuc, director of the city’s Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority, the road features three dedicated access points to T3.

The construction is complete and is awaiting final linkage to the terminal.

T3 is located separately from T1 and T2, and access will rely primarily on the Tran Quoc Hoan-Cong Hoa corridor and an expanded section of Hoang Hoa Tham Street, rather than the often-congested Truong Son Street.

The airport is also planning to tender passenger shuttle services between terminals to ease transfers.

Handling nearly 20 million domestic passengers annually -- about 80 percent of the airport’s total -- the move of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet to T3 is expected to reduce severe congestion at T1.

Originally designed for 15 million passengers per year, equivalent to 41,000 passengers per day, T1 terminal now regularly exceeds its capacity and even serves nearly 100,000 passengers per day during holidays -- more than double its intended capacity.

Construction on T3 began in December 2022. The project includes a new passenger terminal, multi-story parking with integrated commercial services, elevated roadways, and expanded aircraft parking.

The facility will be equipped with 89 traditional check-in counters, 20 self-service baggage drop stations, 42 check-in kiosks, 26 boarding gates, and 25 security screening points.

It is designed to serve more than 20 million passengers annually and handle up to 7,000 passengers per hour during peak periods.

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