Cat Bi to become international airport

October 09, 2012 | 09:04

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Vietnam plans to upgrade the Cat Bi airport in the northern city of Haiphong to an international airport by 2015, announced the Ministry of Transport.

Cat Bi airport will be expanded to handle international flights by 2015.

Under a plan recently approved by the Prime Minister, a new 3,050-metre long and 60-metre wide concrete runway will be built parallel to the existing runway, allowing Cat Bi to accommodate B747, B777-300, B777-200, A321 and similar aircraft.

The airport terminal will be enlarged to handle 4-5 million passengers annually by 2015 and 8-10 million by 2025, once the expansion is completed. The airport operator also plans to build a cargo terminal with an annual capacity of up to one million tonnes of goods.

The cost for the first phrase of the project until 2015 is estimated at VND5 trillion ($240 million).

It is expected that Cat Bi airport will welcome around two million passengers annually by 2015 and eight million each year over the following ten years. The airport operator also aims to transport 250,000 tonnes of cargo annually through Cat Bi by 2025.

Cat Bi’s only runway, which was put into operation in 1996, has deteriorated so the airport is currently unable to handle modern aircraft.

Nhan Dan

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