Vietnam is planning to quadruple its airport capacity by 2020, according to an aviation official.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam deputy director of international affairs Luu Van Doan told delegates at the Asian Aerospace International Congress Wednesday in Hong Kong that the expansion would require billions of dollars in funding.
By 2010, around US$1 billion would be spent on airport development, while another $1.8 billion would be spent from 2011 to 2015 and a further $2.7 billion between 2016 and 2020, he said.
“Priority will be given to the development of international airports,” said Doan, adding that demand for both domestic and international air transport had been growing rapidly in Vietnam.
Between 1995 and 2005 passenger traffic grew 11 percent annually while cargo volumes increased 13.4 percent annually, he said.
Passenger and freight traffic was forecast to continue growing strongly through 2010, requiring aggressive airport expansion initiatives, said Doan.
Doan said plans called for the country’s total airport capacity to be increased by 250 percent by 2015 and by 400 percent by 2020.
In the northern part of the country, a second passenger terminal is planned after 2010 at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport, while Cat Bi airport in Hai Phong is being upgraded to an international facility.
A new runway is under construction at Na San airport and a new airport was opened recently in Dong Hoi.
In the central part of the country, a new terminal is to be built at Da Nang and Cam Ranh, while Chu Lai is to be upgraded to an international facility.
In the south, a new terminal is being built at Tan Son Nhat airport, Can Tho is to be upgraded and new airports are to be built at Long Thanh, near Ho Chi Minh City, and on Phu Quoc island.
Currently there are 22 airports in Vietnam, three of which are international facilities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.
Source: Flight Daily News/Thanhnien