Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport is considering plans to build a second airport in Hanoi to accommodate an expected increase in population from 5 million to between 21 and 23 million by 2050.

According to news site VnExpress, Hanoi’s authorities believe the capital region needs to two international airports to meet transport needs and ensure aviation security and safety.

Four locations for the project have been scouted, including Ly Nhan and Ung Hoa Districts south of Hanoi, Hai Duong Province to the east and Hai Phong City, southeast of the capital on the Cam River.

The new airport will handle only domestic flights.

Hanoi is presently served by Noi Bai International Airport, where a terminal was added in 2014.

In 2020, plans were announced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to raise a total of $16bn for airport construction over the next decade, which would include a further expansion of Noi Bai.

That coupled with other Vietnamese airport expansions would raise the country’s annual passenger capacity to 150 million.