The Ministry of Construction announced the suspension on February 12, stating that the airport will halt operations from 00:00 on March 4 to 23:59 on August 25 to allow construction under a project to repair and upgrade its airside infrastructure.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV) has been assigned to issue a notice of the temporary closure through the aeronautical information system in accordance with regulations, notify local authorities and relevant agencies, and coordinate the implementation of necessary measures to address related issues during the shutdown period.

Earlier, the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) approved the investment project and detailed construction design for the runway and taxiway repairs. The CAAV also completed the appraisal of the proposal for the temporary closure based on documents submitted by the airport and related units.

Under the airport development plan for the 2021–2030 period with a vision to 2050, approved in May 2024, Lien Khuong is classified as a 4E airport, the highest category currently applied in Viet Nam. Following the upgrade, it is expected to handle 5 million passengers and 20,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

By 2050, the airport’s capacity is projected to rise to 7 million passengers and 30,000 tonnes of cargo per year. During the 2021–2030 period, the existing T1 terminal will be retained with a capacity of 2 million passengers annually, while a new T2 terminal with a designed capacity of about 3 million passengers per year will be built. By 2050, the T2 terminal will be expanded to bring the total capacity of the entire airport to approximately 7 million passengers per year, with land reserved for future development when needed.

On June 23, 2024, authorities officially announced the upgrade of Lien Khuong to international airport status, making it the first international airport in the Central Highlands region.