The Dien Bien Airport expansion and upgrade project has a total investment of more than 3 trillion VND. Of which, 1,467 billion VND comes from the capital of Vietnam Airports Corporation and 1,555 billion VND comes from the Dien Bien provincial budget to carry out site clearance work. This project has been officially completed and the airport will resume commercial flights from the end of December 2023.
After returning to operation and being qualified to receive large aircraft, Dien Bien Airport has significantly increased flight frequency.
After only about 4 months of re-opening, the number of passengers traveling to/from Dien Bien has reached nearly 70 thousand with a total of more than 900 flights. Especially during the peak period of the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (from March to May 2024), there were days when Dien Bien Airport received 9 flights with 18 take-offs/landings.
However, after the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory with a series of dense cultural and tourism events, up to now, Dien Bien Airport only maintains an average of about 9 flights/week.
Including 7 flights of Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi and 2 flights of Vietjet Air to Ho Chi Minh City.
Previously, in September 2024, Vietjet Air announced the temporary suspension of flights from Dien Bien to Hanoi and vice versa, only maintaining the Dien Bien - Ho Chi Minh City route. On February 1, 2025, Vietjet Air suddenly announced the temporary suspension of flights from Dien Bien Airport from February 12, 2025 until further notice.
In 2023, Bamboo Airways also operated two direct flights to Dien Bien by jet aircraft. Of which, the Hanoi - Dien Bien route had a frequency of 7 flights/week; the Ho Chi Minh City - Dien Bien route had a frequency of 4 flights/week. However, after a period of operation, Bamboo Airways also stopped operating flights from Dien Bien Airport.
Thus, after February 12, at Dien Bien Airport, there will only be flights operated by Vietnam Airlines on the Hanoi - Dien Bien route.
On February 5, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of Dien Bien Airport said that according to the current winter flight schedule, Vietnam Airlines still maintains a regular flight every day. On Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, there are 2 flights per day. "However, whether Vietnam Airlines operates these flights or not depends on the number of passengers," the representative said.
At the proposal of Dien Bien province, on March 27, 2021, the Prime Minister approved the investment policy of the Dien Bien Airport Expansion Project. On January 22, 2022, the Dien Bien Airport Renovation and Upgrade Project officially started construction. After 22 months of construction, on December 24, 2023, the Dien Bien Airport Expansion Project was officially completed...
The Dien Bien Airport Upgrade Investment Project is a Group B project, a level I traffic project, with a total investment of over VND 1,467 billion from the capital of Vietnam Airports Corporation. The site clearance work alone with a total investment of VND 1,555 billion is guaranteed from the budget of Dien Bien province.
The project includes runway 35-17 measuring 2400mx45m, a turntable at both ends, reinforced concrete structure ensuring the operation of A320/A321 aircraft or equivalent; material shoulders 7.5m wide on each side, brake strips at both ends of the runway measuring 60x100m and construction of a CAT I approach lighting system...
The passenger terminal has a capacity of 500,000 passengers per year. The terminal is designed with 2 floors, of which the first floor includes: the lobby roof area, the departure passenger area and the arrival passenger area. The second floor is the waiting area, business class lounge, commercial service area and auxiliary areas.
