HÀ NỘI — The central province of Quảng Bình has approved in principle real estate developer FLC Group to invest in and upgrade Đồng Hới to an international airport.

In document No 533/UBND-KTTH, the provincial People’s Committee said the upgradation project would be implemented under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model.

According to the document, the Đồng Hới Airport is under the management of Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) and Ministry of Transport. Therefore, Quảng Bình Province has asked FLC to work with the ministry and ACV. The province, on its part, has promised to provide favourable conditions for the group to implement the project.

On April 7, 2018, FLC submitted a proposal to relevant ministries and agencies on investment to upgrade the airport.

Meanwhile, the Government has asked the Ministry of Transport to consider a master plan for upgrading the airport so that it can receive larger aircraft and meet higher demand for air travel.

Once approved officially, FLC Group will strictly go through the investment and operation procedures in line with the prevailing regulations, the company said in its proposal.

FLC signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus last month to purchase 24 A321neo aircraft for its start-up carrier, Bamboo Airways.

Bamboo Airways is expected to begin operations late this year, with aircraft to be leased from third-party lessors before taking delivery of the aircraft under the deal with Airbus.

The airline will focus on bringing domestic and international tourists to some of the country’s increasingly popular destinations, such as Quy Nhơn, Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Thanh Hóa and Quảng Bình.

“With a strategic location in the north-central region, Đồng Hới Airport has been important for Quảng Bình to connect to world heritage sites in the central region while providing a convenient transit for many flights nationwide,” FLC said.

The potential of the airport has not been fully tapped, and there is a lot of scope for the growth of tourism in the province.

“The upgradation of the airport to welcome the increasing number of tourists to Quảng Bình Province should be implemented soon. Đồng Hới Airport will also be one of the key operation areas for Bamboo Airways in the central region,” said Đặng Tất Thắng, deputy general director of FLC cum general director of the airline.

Thắng added that FLC would begin the project as soon as it received formal approval and expected it to be complete by the end of 2019.

FLC Group has invested VNĐ20 trillion (US$527 million) in the 2,000ha FLC Quảng Bình Beach and Golf Resort Complex. This is the largest tourism project in the central region to date.

The project is expected to fuel the province’s tourism development as well as socio-economic growth. — VNS