Tan Son Nhat International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Tan Son Nhat International Airport
nativename = Cảng Hàng không Quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất

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image-width = 240
IATA = SGN
ICAO = VVTS

type = Public
owner = Vietnamese government
operator = Southern Airports Corporation
city-served = Ho Chi Minh City
location = Tan Binh District
elevation-f = 33
elevation-m = 10
coordinates = coord|10|49|08|N|106|39|07|E|type:airport
website = [http://tsnairport.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/ tsnairport.hochiminhcity.gov.vn]
metric-elev = yes
metric-rwy = yes
r1-number = 07L/25R
r1-length-f = 10,000
r1-length-m = 3,048
r1-surface = Concrete
r2-number = 07R/25L
r2-length-f = 12,468
r2-length-m = 3,800
r2-surface = Concrete
footnotes =

Tan Son Nhat International Airport airport codes|SGN|VVTS ( _vi. Cảng Hàng không Quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất), is Vietnam's largest international airport in terms of area (convert|800|ha|acre|0|disp=/|abbr=on compared with convert|650|ha|acre|0|disp=/|abbr=on of Noi Bai International Airport and Da Nang International Airport [http://www.tsnairport.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/vn/default.aspx?cat_id=717&news_id=605&cl1=695#content Official website of Tan Son Nhat International Airport] ] Vietnam Aviation Magazine ("Tạp chí Hàng không"), October 2007 issue (a magazine published by the Vietnam Aviation Authority), in article "Is that possible for a new international airport in Hai Duong Province" ? ] ) and in terms of capacity (with the capacity of 15-17 million passengers per year, compared to Noi Bai's capacity of 6 million passengers per year and Da Nang's 2 million passengers per year) and also the country's largest airport in terms of passengers (with an estimated number of over 11 million passengers per year in 2007, more than a half of that of Vietnam's all airports ["Expansion of Tan Son Nhat International Airport on" Sài Gòn Giải Phóng Newspaper on 13 October 2007 [http://www.sggp.org.vn/xahoi/2007/10/125219/] ] Two more Hanoi-Saigon flights per day for Pacific Airlines on “Vietnamnet.net, access date November 11, 2007, vi [http://vietnamnet.vn/kinhte/2007/11/753468/] ] ), serves Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Dong Nam Bo in general in southern Vietnam. Its IATA code, SGN, was derived from the city's former name Saigon.

History

Tan Son Nhat International Airport has its origins in the early 1930s, when the French Colonial government constructed a small unpaved airport, known as Tân Sơn Nhất Airfield in the village of Tan Son Nhat. By mid-1956 United States of America foreign aid built a convert|7200|ft|m|-1|sing=on runway and the facility became South Vietnam's international airport. During the Vietnam War (or Second Indochina War), Tan Son Nhut Air Base (then using the alternative spelling Tân Sơn Nhứt) was an important facility for both the United States and the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). Before 1975, Tan Son Nhat International Airport had been one of the busiest airbases worldwide.

On December 9, 2004, United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to fly to Vietnam since Pan Am's last flight during the Fall of Saigon. UA869 (a Boeing 747-400) landed at Ho Chi Minh City, which was a continuation of United's San Francisco–Hong Kong service. Service was then switched from San Francisco to Los Angeles with a stop in Hong Kong as UA 867 (also a Boeing 747-400) on October 29, 2006. In 2006, this airport served approximately 8.5 million passengers (compared with 7 million in 2005) with 64.000 aircraft movements [Official number from Tan Son Nhat Airport Authority at its official website [http://www.tsnairport.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/vn/default.aspx?cat_id=717&news_id=605&cl1=695#content] ] .Tan Son Nhat Airport has recently accounted for nearly two thirds of the international arrivals and departures in all of Vietnam's airports. [http://www.mt.gov.vn/default.asp?op=tintuc&catid=2&newsid=1381 News about Tan Son Nhat International Airport on Official Website of Ministry of Transport of Vietnam, 12 November 2007, Vietnamese] ]

Due to the increasing demand (about 15%-20% per annum), this airport has been continuously expanded by the Southern Airports Authority.

New International Terminal

A new international terminal funded by Japanese ODA and constructed by a consortium of four Japanese contractors (KTOM, abbreviation of 4 contractors's names: Kajima - Taisei - Obayashi - Maeda), opened in September 2007 with the capacity of 8 to 10 million passengers per year, giving the airport a total capacity of 15-17 million passengers per annum. The old terminal is now used for domestic flights only. After 2015, when Long Thanh International Airport is completed, Tan Son Nhat will serve domestic passengers only.

Facilities

Following the opening of its new international terminal in September 2007, Tan Son Nhat operates from two terminal buildings with separate sections for international and domestic flights. Four jetways were added in the late 1990s prior to which planes parked away from the terminal and passengers took buses to/from the terminal. The capacity of this terminal, once fully completed, will be 8 million passengers per annum. After 2015, when Long Thanh International Airport is completed, Tan Son Nhat will serve domestic passengers only.

The Prime Minister of Vietnam by Decision 1646/TTg-NN has approved the addition of convert|30|ha|acre|0 of adjacent area to extend the apron and to build a cargo terminal due to the rapid increase of passenger (which will reach to 11 million in 2007 and is expected to reach 17 million in 2010, compared to 7 million and 8.5 million in 2005 and 2006 respectively) and cargo volume at this airport [Two more Hanoi-Saigon flights per day for Pacific Airlines on “Vietnamnet.net, access date November 11, 2007, en [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/travel/2007/11/753609/] ]

Both Arrivals and Departures are split across two floors.

Arrivals

Arriving passengers disembark through jetways, although some flights may be parked away from the terminal and require a short walk to immigration that is located on the upper level. Immigration desks are available for both ASEAN and non-ASEAN residents, who generally must be in possession of a visa prior to arrival, or make advance plans to pick one up in the arrivals area prior to clearing Customs. There are toilet facilities and duty-free shops available in the baggage hall.

A currency exchange desk is located immediately past the Customs desk. There are no facilities for non-passengers to enter the arrivals area and they are limited to meeting passengers outside the terminal. It is here that passengers can pick up taxis, motorcycles or a bus into the city.

The air-conditioned airport bus, service number 152, is the cheapest way into the city. It is especially useful for tourists as it passes most of the major hotels along Đ De Tham and Đ Dong Khoi.

Departures

Only passengers are allowed inside the terminal.

Passengers enter the domestic terminal on the lower level where check-in formalities are completed; in the new international terminal departures are on the upper level. Departing international passengers must pay a departure tax (currently US$14 for adults and US$7 for children aged 2 to 12, with no charge for under-2s); as of November 2006, departure tax is included in the prices of plane tickets. Trolleys are not permitted past the security checkpoints, but smaller trolleys are normally available once the checkpoint has been cleared.

International passengers complete passport control formalities and then pass into the departures lounge. The new terminal contains several shops and restaurants, mostly charging Western prices for items, as well as the total of 4 business-class lounges, one of them is operated by Vietnam Airlines and one of them is operated by Star Alliance. Flights are normally called and passengers need to present themselves at the gate for baggage screening and boarding, normally through jetways.

Airlines and destinations

Terminal 1 (Domestic)

All domestic flights depart and arrive from Terminal 1.
* Jetstar Pacific Airlines (Da Nang, Hai Phong, Hue [begin 5 December 2008] [http://hanoimoi.com.vn/vn/42/182036/] , Hanoi, Vinh)
* Vietnam Airlines (Buon Ma Thuot, Chu Lai, Da Lat, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Hue, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Vinh)
* Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) (Ca Mau, Con Dao, Da Nang, Rach Gia, Chu Lai, Tuy Hoa, Qui Nhon)

Terminal 2 (International)

All international flights depart and arrive from Terminal 2, which opened in August 2007, and officially inaugurated in December 2007.

* AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur)
** Thai AirAsia (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
* Air China (Beijing, Nanning)
* Air France (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* All Nippon Airways (Tokyo-Narita)
* Asiana Airlines (Busan, Seoul-Incheon)
* Bangkok Airways (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
* Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
* Cebu Pacific (Manila)
* China Airlines (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
* China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
* China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou)
* EVA Air (Kaohsiung, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
* Garuda Indonesia (Jakarta, Singapore)
* Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong)
* Japan Airlines (Tokyo-Narita)
* Jetstar Asia Airways (Singapore)
* Jetstar Pacific Airlines (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi [begins 31 October] , Siem Riep [begins 3 November] , Singapore [begin 14 November] )
* Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
* Lion Air (Jakarta, Singapore)
* Lufthansa (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Frankfurt)
* Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
* Mandarin Airlines (Taichung)
* Philippine Airlines (Manila)
* Qantas
** Jetstar Airways (Darwin)
* Qatar Airways (Doha)
* Royal Brunei Airlines (Bandar Seri Begawan)
* Royal Khmer Airlines (Siem Reap)
* Shanghai Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
* Shenzhen Airlines (Shenzhen)
* Siem Reap Airways International (Siem Riep) [begins 26 October]
* Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
* Thai Airways International (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
* Tiger Airways (Singapore)
* Uni Air (Kaohsiung, Taichung)
* United Airlines (Hong Kong, San Francisco)
* Vietnam Airlines (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing, Busan, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles [begins 27 October] , Manila, Melbourne, Moscow-Domodedovo, Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Phnom Penh, Seoul-Incheon, Siem Reap, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Vientiane)
* Viva Macau (Macau)

Cargo airlines

* Air France Cargo (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* Asiana Cargo (Seoul-Incheon)
* Cargoitalia (Dubai, Hong Kong)
* Cargolux (Luxembourg) [http://www.cargolux.com/press/press-release.php?id_cat=2&dbtab=docs]
* China Airlines Cargo (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
* EVA Air Cargo (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
* K-Mile (Transmile Air Services) (Unknown)
* Korean Air Cargo (Seoul-Incheon)
* Shanghai Airlines Cargo (Shanghai-Pudong)

The airport's future

The current Tan Son Nhat airport is located inside the crowded city of Ho Chi Minh City, and a limited area for expansion and safety concerns would make it hard to upgrade in order to meet increasing demand. Following a recent decision by the Vietnam Prime Minister, a new airport - Long Thanh International Airport - will replace Tan Son Nhat airport for international-departure use. The master plan for this new airport was approved in April 2006. The new airport will be built in Long Thanh county, Dong Nai province, about convert|50|km|mi|0|abbr=on northeast of Ho Chi Minh City and convert|70|km|mi|0|abbr=on northwest of the petroleum-focused city of Vung Tau, near Highway 51A. The pre-feasibility study for this project is under way. The Long Thanh International Airport will be constructed on an area of convert|50|km2|sqmi|0|spell=us, and it will have four runways (4,000 m x 60 m or 13,100 ft x 200 ft) and be capable of receiving the Airbus A380 jumbo jet. The project will be divided in two stages. Stage one includes the construction of two parallel runways and a terminal with a capacity of 20 million passengers per year, due to be completed in 2010. The second stage is scheduled for completion in 2015, leaving the airport with three passenger terminals and a cargo terminal designed to received 5 million metric tons of cargo per year. The total invested capital of this project is an estimated US$8 billion. Upon completion of Long Thanh International Airport, Tan Son Nhat Airport will serve domestic passengers only. Long Thanh International Airport is expected to be the leading airport on the Indochina peninsula, and one of the busiest air transportation hubs in the southeast Asian region.

See also

* Da Nang International Airport
* Noi Bai International Airport
* List of airports in Vietnam

References

External links

* [http://www.tsnairport.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/ Tan Son Nhat Airport Official Website]
* [http://www.sascotravel.com.vn/ Southern Airport Services Company Official Website]
* [http://www.sags-saa.com/ Saigon Ground Services Official Website]
*