Prevailing bidding regulations will apply to the tender for Long Thanh International Airport covering 5,000 hectares in Long Thanh and Cam My districts of the southern province. The ministry proposed inviting international bids in a report submitted to the Government in November.

Speaking at a meeting with the province’s Department of Construction and Japan Airports Consultants last month, Dong Nai’s Chairman Dinh Quoc Thai urged relevant agencies to complete a master zoning plan for the area that will be home to the airport.

A vast area of around 26,000 hectares will be developed from 2012 to 2030, with 5,000 hectares for the airport and 21,000 hectares for urban and residential areas.

A transportation network connected to the planned airport, including Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway, HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway, Thu Thiem railway and HCMC-Nha Trang high-speed railway, will be developed.

The ministry announced a zoning plan for the Long Thanh airport project in Dong Nai in August. Project owner Southern Airport Corp. plans to start work on the project in 2015 and put the airport into use by 2020.

Stage 1 of the airport project will require nearly US$7 billion for construction of two parallel runways of 4,000 meters in length and 60 meters in width for modern aircraft including Airbus A380s.

The airport will be able to handle 25 million passengers a year in the initial stage, 50 million passengers by 2030 and up to 100 million passengers thereafter. The airport will have three runways in the second stage until 2030 and four runways afterwards.