At 7.05 am on October 29, a Sun PhuQuoc Airways flight became the first commercial aircraft to land on the airport's new runway, known as Runway No. 2.
The runway was completed after eight months of construction as part of infrastructure upgrades for the APEC Economic Leaders' Week, scheduled for November 2027. (Photo: Tuan Ngoc)
After landing, the aircraft taxied towards the end of the runway, passing the Terminal T2 construction site, another key project being developed for the APEC meetings in November 2027. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
Following the inaugural landing, several domestic and international flights used the new runway before taxiing to the parking apron at Terminal 1. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
Passengers arriving from HCM City expressed excitement as they stepped onto Phu Quoc, becoming among the first travellers to use the new runway. (Photo: H. Ha)
Several aircraft subsequently took off from Runway No. 2, carrying passengers to domestic and international destinations.
Measuring 3,300 metres long and 45 metres wide, the runway meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Code E standards and can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Airbus A350 and Boeing 777, as well as Code F aircraft. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
A Boeing 787-8 operated by Poland's national carrier, LOT Polish Airlines, departs Phu Quoc for Warsaw, Poland. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
The day before operations began, the project developer and airport authorities completed final preparations, including runway markings, lighting systems, runway shoulders and grassed areas. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
Runway No. 2 is equipped with an instrument landing system and distance measuring equipment (ILS/DME), along with Category II (CAT II) approach lighting. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
The developer worked with more than 20 contractors and consultants to complete the project despite challenging island conditions, unpredictable weather, reliance on sea transport for materials, labour shortages and rising fuel costs. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
More than 6,000 engineers and workers across the project worked in three shifts and four rotating teams to meet the construction deadline. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
Nguyen Ba Quan, Director of Phu Quoc International Airport, credited the achievement to government and local authorities' oversight, the commitment of the developer and contractors, particularly ACC Aviation Construction Corporation, and the efforts of Vietnamese engineers and workers.
With Runway No. 2 operational, the airport will temporarily close its existing Runway No. 1 for upgrades, extending it from 3,000 to 3,500 metres and increasing its total width to 75 metres, comprising a 45-metre concrete surface and 15-metre asphalt shoulders on each side.
Once upgraded, Runway No. 1 will be capable of accommodating Code F wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing 747-8F and Airbus A380-800. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
During the approximately six-month construction period, all take-offs and landings will be handled by Runway No. 2, maintaining operations through the 2026-2027 winter flight schedule, when flight frequencies are expected to rise by around 34 per cent. Runway No. 1 is expected to resume operations in May 2027. (Photo: Tien Tuan)
