Upgrading Cat Bi International Airport in Haiphong with $130 million funding

Upgrading Cat Bi International Airport has become an imperative demand to best serve the passengers

According to Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV)’s report, T2 passenger terminal at Cat Bi International Airport (phase 1) would have a designed capacity of five million passengers per year, with separate parts for departure and arrival and a raft of auxiliary works, including a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) house, water supply and power stations, wastewater treatment facility, garage, toll station, roads to the passenger terminal and internal road system, car parking space, landscaped trees, among others.

So far, consultancy units CPG Singapore and local Airport Design and Construction Consultancy Co., Ltd. have surveyed and prepared the project’s feasibility study. Haiphong People's Committee has approved the terminal’s architecture plan, as well as appraised and approved the environmental impact assessment report.

The City’s Police has agreed on the project’s fire prevention plan. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has appraised and approved details of the 1/500 functional subdivision. The project’s investment preparation has been almost completed, with documents now being updated following new regulations in the project’s investment preparation.

Regarding the construction of cargo terminal at Cat Bi International Airport with an annual capacity reaching 100,000 tonnes of cargo and auxiliary technical infrastructure works, ACV is urgently preparing the feasibility study following the approved investment policy.

The construction features a 2-storey cargo terminal; functional areas, office rooms, auxiliary and technical works; car park, internal roads, landscaped trees and other ancillary works. The project has a total investment value reaching VND390billion ($16.96 million) sourced entirely from ACV’s equity with disbursement progressing according to schedule. The project has a 50-year duration.

Meanwhile, Cat Bi International Airport’s phase 1 aircraft parking space expansion project (in front of the cargo terminal) would cover more than 56,641 square metres with a total investment of VND490 billion ($21.3 million). The project, launched at the end of 2020, is now 57.06 per cent completed and is deploying relevant works.

Some problems, however, have persisted, such as the adjustment of Cat Bi International Airport’, the local planning of which has not yet met the set progress requirement, leading to ACV not being able to complete the application for project appraisal and next-step implementation; the order and procedures for defence land hand-over have not been implemented in a timely manner.

Regarding the site clearance, 23.55 hectares of land area has been zoned for the construction of the aforesaid facilities, including 12.82ha for T2 terminal, 7.48ha for the aircraft parking area in front of T2 terminal, and 3.25ha has been reserved for the potential expansion of the aircraft parking space and a detention basin.

The remaining land area for construction is 16.9ha, including 8.28ha for the cargo terminal, 7.18ha for the head office for Cat Bi airport, and relevant roads, as well as 1.44ha for expanding existing roads.

Haiphong has handed over 54,398sq.m of land to the Northern Airports Authority to allocate the land area to ACV for the expansion of the parking space at Cat Bi International Airport.

After a meeting on investment and construction of the T2 terminal, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh requested the urgent implementation of the construction, with project approval in December and construction beginning in the first quarter of 2022, completing the project to bring the airport into use after 24 months of construction.

Cat Bi International Airport plays crucial role in the socioeconomic development of Haiphong and the northern coastal as well as the Red River delta regions.

In recent years, Cat Bi International Airport has been listed among airports with the fastest growth in passenger and cargo volume in the country. In light of Decision No.236/QD-TTg dated February 23, 2018 of the prime minister approving revised air transport development planning to 2020, with orientation towards 2030, Cat Bi International Airport aims to reach 4E level, with a capacity of receiving 13 million passengers per year by 2030.