Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa is set for major expansion, with capacity targets of 25 million passengers by 2030 and 36 million by 2050, if a new master plan for the airport goes ahead, The Investor has reported → view source.
The article contains updated capacity targets and expansion details, showing how Vietnam is reshaping its airport infrastructure strategy beyond pre-pandemic projections.
Key details
- Planning authority: Developed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).
- Capacity expansion: Passenger capacity will rise sharply, with a new T1 terminal (21 million passengers initially, later 32 million) complementing the existing T2 (4 million). Cargo capacity will expand to 100,000 tons by 2050.
- Infrastructure upgrades: Apron stands will grow from 61 by 2030 to 86 by 2050, handling wide-body aircraft (A350, B787) under CAT II landing standards. A general and private aviation zone is also included.
- Land use: Total airport area planned at 628 hectares, with both civil and military allocations.
- Planning shift: Earlier projections (2009 plan) underestimated demand. The airport exceeded its 2030 passenger target before the pandemic, handling nearly 10 million in 2019.
- Regional context: Expansion coincides with the July 2025 merger of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, positioning Cam Ranh as a central aviation hub for tourism.
This is part of Vietnam’s broader airport development strategy, where regional tourism hubs like Cam Ranh are scaled up to handle long-term growth.
This is, of course, very ambitious but it is only a plan and has not been approved nor funded.
It is, however, useful as a directional indicator of where Vietnam’s aviation planners see demand emerging.
See also: Vietnam’s Aviation Industry 2025: Growth, Key Players, Foreign Ownership, & More