KHÁNH HÒA — Cam Ranh International Terminal JSC began construction on an international terminal at Cam Ranh International Airport in the central province of Khánh Hòa yesterday.

The project aims to meet the recent robust increase in foreign tourists at the airport and prepare for the development of the facility by 2030. 

The two-storey building, worth VNĐ4 trillion (US$180 million), will cover a 50,000sqm.-area and construction will be carried out in three stages. 

The first stage is expected to be completed by 2018, enabling the terminal to greet 2.5 million passengers annually. The number of passengers is expected to hit four million in the second phase and eight million at the end of the third phase in 2030. 

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyễn Nhật said the project would help ease the current overload facing the airport. 

He also asked contractors to ensure safety, environmental hygiene, order and security in the area during the construction period. 

In March, 2015, Khánh Hòa pumped over VNĐ1.9 trillion ($85.5 million) into building the second taxiway at Cam Ranh airport, which is scheduled to be put into operation in early 2018. 

Cam Ranh airport was built by the US troops to serve their military missions during wartime and was converted into a civil airport in 2004. It was upgraded to an international airport in 2009. 

The airport received 3.3 million passengers in the first eight months of this year, including 1.5 million foreigners. It’s designed annual capacity is 1.5 million passengers. 

In 2015, the airport welcomed more than 2.7 million passengers, exceeding its design capacity by 80 percent. The number of foreign passengers was nearly 900,000. — VNS