City urges Dong Nai to build airport

The airport, to be built in three phases, is expected to be fully operational by 2035, with an annual capacity of 100 million passengers.- Photo dddn

The deputy chairman of the city People's Committee, Nguyen Huu Tin, said the existing infrastructure would be overwhelmed if Tan Son Nhat Airport's handling capacity is raised from the present 20 million passengers to 25 million per year.

Tin was speaking at a meeting of the State Assessment Council for Long Thanh International Airport Project last Friday in Ha Noi.

He explained that to meet the additional 5 million passengers per year, the city must invest US$4 to 5 billion to upgrade the transport facilities, including an elevated railway and roads connecting with the airport.

Tin said HCM City had faced a shortage of land and space required for ensuring flight and aviation safety.

An expansion of Tan Son Nhat Airport, which is located in the centre of HCM City, will affect the city's urban development plans.

Therefore, construction of Long Thanh International Airport in neighbouring Dong Nai Province and a new airport operational after 2020 was a necessity, said Tin.

Sixteen members of the State Assessment Council have voted to approve the report on investment for the project to build Long Thanh International Airport.

With approval of the council's majority, the council will submit the report to the Government and the National Assembly for the NA's ratification in its meeting in October.

The minister of Planning and Investment and chairman of the State Assessment Council, Bui Quang Vinh, has asked the Transport Ministry to supply guidance to Airport Authority of Viet Nam – the investor of Long Thanh Project – to use the council's suggestions to complete its report on Long Thanh Airport Project for submission to the Prime Minister in October.

Approved by the Prime Minister on 14 June 2011, Long Thanh Airport is scheduled to open to the public in 2020 after the first phase of development, according to Dong Nai Provincial authority.

The airport, to be built in three phases, is expected to be fully operational by 2035, with an annual capacity of 100 million passengers.

Construction on the Long Thanh International Airport is scheduled to begin in 2015, and by 2020, it will be capable of handling 25 million passengers a year.

With an investment of more than US$10 billion and covering more than 5,000ha, Long Thanh is expected to become a competitive international airport and a key entry point to Southeast Asia.

Funding for the project will come from Government bonds, official development assistance (ODA) and private sources.

Government capital and ODA will be used for airport infrastructure and private funding will be sought to build the passenger terminal.

More than $6.7 billion will be spent on ground clearance and construction during the first phase. Airport capacity will double after the second phase and will be completed by 2030.

The airport, which will be located around 43km from HCM City, will serve 90 per cent of international and 20 per cent of domestic flights, diverting a major chunk of passenger traffic from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City.