He made the request on July 21 while inspecting the site for the future airport, designed to replace the overburdened Tan Son Nhat Airport, which serves Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces.

The PM said 1,800 hectares of cleared land must be ready by October so that construction work can start by the end of 2020.

The first stage of Long Thanh Airport, with one runway and one terminal that can handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo, is scheduled for completion by 2025.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc inspects the site clearance work of Long Thanh Airport. (Photo: VGP)

The total cost for the first stage is estimated at US$4.8 billion, out of US$16 billion for the entire project, which will have four runways, four terminals and a total capacity of 100 million passengers when all three stages are completed.

At the working session with Dong Nai leaders, PM Phuc also asked the ministries concerned to work with the province to build the airport, a key national project expected to drive economic growth in the southern region.

For their part, Dong Nai authorities proposed that the head of government allow the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway to 8-10 lanes as it will be the main route linking Ho Chi Minh City with the new airport.

They also suggested the Ministry of Transport soon implement Ho Chi Minh City’s fourth ring road from Thu Bien Bridge in Binh Duong Province to Phu My in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in order to ensure adequate connection between the airport and neighbouring provinces.