Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City’s Tân Bình District. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HCM CITY — The Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City faces challenges finding resources to realise an airport-based urban area, experts said at a recent seminar.

Architect Hoàng Ngọc Lan of HCM City University of Architecture said many airport-based urban models had been created globally, contributing to local economic, trade, and tourism development. The Amsterdam Schiphol airport area in the Netherlands is an example.

“The limitation in traffic connectivity between the airport with HCM City's central area, and the land fund around the airport, can be solved if we want to do it," she said.

Aviation expert Lương Hoài Nam said the airport had not been developed according to an airport-based urban model in recent years.

"Now, we are discussing this model in terms of the land around the airport, which is not a lot. But it is worth discussing and worth doing," he said.

The expansion of the airport, including construction of a new international terminal T3, should consider planning inside and outside the airport. “This would increase the connections between the city centre and the airport," he said.

"Developing land, transport infrastructure and urban embellishments are needed in the coming time in order to fully exploit the airport’s capacity and efficiently use the land in the vicinity of the airport," Nam said.

To deal with limited land and weak transport connections, it would be necessary to build an elevated road, architect Khương Văn Mười, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Association of Architecture, said.

He said underground spaces around the airport are also needed, especially 10 hectares of land in Hoàng Văn Thụ Park.

Architect Đỗ Nguyên Phong from the city’s Institute of Planning and Construction said the conversion of military land in the area to other uses should be considered carefully as it is related to legal issues and could affect national security.

The city’s Department of Planning and Architecture in collaboration with Tân Bình District’s People’s Committee last week held the seminar on planning and urban management of international airport-based urban area models, with a pilot project considered in the Tân Sơn Nhất airport area.— VNS