Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given approval for work on the Long Thanh International Airport near ${bigcity_Ho_Chi_Minh_City:”Ho Chi Minh City”} to start in 2015. Based on plans drawn up by Japan Airport Consultants Inc, the first of its three phases will be finished in 2020 with two runways, a terminal that can serve 25 million passengers a year, a cargo terminal with a capacity of 1.2 million tons, parking space for 34 aircraft, and other facilities.

The runways will be large enough for giant aircraft like the Airbus A380.

The first phase is expected to cost more than US$6.7 billion, including nearly $700 million for land.

The second phase, to be finished in 2030, will see one more runway built and capacity increased to 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tons of goods.

After 2030, following the final phase, the airport will have four runways and four terminals that can handle 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo.

The PM wants the Ministry of Planning and Investment to obtain an ODA loan from Japan to do the project’s feasibility study.

Long Thanh Airport will replace Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC as the country’s largest international airport, handling 90 percent of international flights and 20 percent of domestic flights, the Ministry of Transport said.

After 2035 Tan Son Nhat may be used as a standby airport, it added.