Connecting Flight Routes, Expanding Tourism Development

Not only serving as the aviation gateway of the Northeast region, Van Don International Airport is gradually affirming its role as a driving force for the growth of tourism and services in Quang Ninh. Expanding flight services not only meets the travel needs of residents but also creates new "flows" of tourists, investment, and commerce, enhancing the competitiveness of Quang Ninh as a destination on the regional and international tourism map.

After launching the direct flight route from Ho Chi Minh City to Van Don in June 2026, Sun PhuQuoc Airways increased the frequency to one flight daily, meeting the travel demand of tourists. This is not only a positive signal for air transportation but also opens up significant opportunities for Quang Ninh to more effectively access the southern tourist market, which is one of the largest tourism markets in the country in terms of scale and expenditure.

From Van Don International Airport, travelers can quickly connect to a series of famous destinations such as: Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Yen Tu, Co To, Quan Lan, along with a growing system of resorts, entertainment, and night economic activities. Not only shortening geographical distances, the flight routes also help bring Quang Ninh's diverse tourism ecosystem closer to travelers nationwide.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of Van Don International Airport, the airport continues to collaborate with airlines to expand the flight network. Additional routes connecting Van Don with Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) and Phu Quoc (An Giang) are planned, along with developing charter flights to China, South Korea, and Russia. These are key markets for Quang Ninh tourism in the new stage of development strategy.

The expansion of international flight routes is expected to create additional momentum for the recovery and development of the international tourist market after a period of disruption. Recently, in a meeting between the Quang Ninh Department of Industry and Trade and the Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce (China), both sides agreed to continue researching the reopening of the direct flight route between Van Don and Fujian, while promoting charter flights, sea routes, and linked tourism products. If realized, this will be an important connecting channel, contributing to increasing the number of international visitors to Quang Ninh and promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two localities.

However, for the airport to truly become a development driver, it's important not only to have a number of flight routes but also to form a complete aviation ecosystem. Therefore, Van Don International Airport is attracting many large-scale investment projects in the aviation industry. Noteworthy is the aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) complex project, valued at approximately $360 million, in collaboration with Sun Group, HAECO, Japan Airlines, and Toyota Tsusho. The project is planned on an area of over 20 hectares and can accommodate multiple wide-body and narrow-body aircraft simultaneously to international standards, expected to be operational from 2028. This complex will not only create nearly 1,000 high-quality jobs but also gradually integrate Van Don deeper into the regional aviation value chain.

This development orientation aligns perfectly with the new planning of Van Don International Airport. According to the Ministry of Construction's adjusted planning, by 2050, the airport is expected to achieve a capacity of about 20 million passengers and 200,000 tons of cargo per year, quadrupling the previous planning. More importantly, the airport is now envisioned not merely as a tourism gateway but developing as a multifunctional aviation center, integrating passenger and cargo transport, logistics, and aviation industry.

The planning expansion creates a foundation for building an additional runway, passenger terminals, cargo terminals, modern logistics systems, and aviation technical services... This is an important premise to enhance operational capacity, attract more airlines to open new flight routes, and create long-term development potential for the Van Don Special Economic Zone.

From an airport built with the mission to open the skies of the Northeast, Van Don International Airport is gradually becoming a connection point for the flows of tourism, investment, and commerce. Each new flight route not only brings additional flights but also carries opportunities for development in tourism, services, and the local economy. With the advantages of modern infrastructure, long-term planning, and a systematic flight network expansion strategy, Van Don International Airport is establishing itself as an important aviation gateway of Quang Ninh, contributing to making the province one of the most attractive destinations in the region and gradually expanding into the international market.