Vietnam Aviation Regulator Rejects 2027 Delays at Long Thanh Airport

Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority has rejected proposals to extend construction of several Long Thanh airport service facilities into 2027, asking the Ministry of Construction to require six priority projects to be ready by December 23, 2026. The authority's position, reported by three Vietnamese newsrooms on November 6, is a recommendation to the ministry, not evidence that revised contracts have already been signed.

Four of the six projects in the airport's Component 4 service programme had not finished basic construction when the authority reported to the ministry. The remaining two had completed basic structures and were installing equipment. The six projects cover aircraft maintenance hangars, catering and ground-service facilities needed to support the planned December 24 start of commercial operations.

The projects had an amended construction deadline of August 31, according to the aviation authority's account. The regulator said the contracts provide for penalties on unfinished construction from October 1, but available reporting does not establish that any penalty has actually been imposed, paid or litigated.

The affected investors gave specific reasons for seeking more time. Vietjet proposed opening part of its maintenance hangar facilities on December 24 and completing full capacity in April 2027. Catering investor VACS proposed opening its production plant and utilities in December while completing supporting facilities by March 2027. VIAGS and VAECO cited delays in shared infrastructure, specialist materials and staffing. These are the companies' reported explanations, not findings that every delay was within or beyond their control.

The aviation authority acknowledged that unfinished shared infrastructure under the airport's separate Component 3, including water and wastewater connections, had obstructed some service works. It nevertheless said the investors were responsible for addressing labour, equipment and construction-management constraints and rejected proposed operational completion dates beyond December 24.

The authority recommended that the Ministry of Construction approve a final December 23 completion date for all six priority facilities. If the ministry accepts the recommendation, the authority would negotiate contract amendments with the investors. As of the November 6 reports, the ministry's signed approval, final amendments and any resulting penalty decisions had not been independently examined.

This is distinct from TFNOS's earlier report on VND8.925 trillion of Long Thanh Component 3 work affected by inspection and payment obstacles. The payment bottleneck concerns a different set of contracts and must not be added to the value of the six Component 4 service projects or treated as a proven loss.

The immediate public question is whether the airport can begin operations with the required catering, maintenance and ground-handling infrastructure ready and licensed. The next records to check are the Ministry of Construction's decision, the six amended contracts, dated completion certificates, any penalties and the aviation authority's final operational authorisations. No final readiness certification or confirmed service failure is established by the present report.