QUẢNG NINH — The Ministry of Transport on Saturday announced a detailed plan for Vân Đồn International Airport in the north-eastern province of Quảng Ninh for the 2020-30 period.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had approved the airport’s plan to become one of the country’s top 10 international airports after he gave his nod to develop Vân Đồn into a special administrative-economic unit (special economic zone) in the northern region.

Under the detailed plan, the airport will be designed to serve both civil and military flights and will be able to receive 2-2.5 million passengers every year by 2020 as well as large aircrafts such as B777, B787, B747-400 and A350. The airfield will be expanded to serve five million passengers annually by 2030.

The airport will be able to handle at least 51,000 tonnes of goods per year by 2030.

By 2020, the airport’s runway will be 3.6km long and 45m wide. This will make it the longest runway in Việt Nam.

Speaking at the announcement ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Lê Đình Thọ said the project was the result of the strong determination shown by the Government and ministries of the province in ensuring necessary infrastructure for its socio-economic development.

Thọ has asked the concerned departments and units to inspect and manage the project.

Nguyễn Văn Thành, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Quảng Ninh Province, affirmed that the provincial authorities will ask the investor to speed up the construction process in accordance with the plan approved by the Prime Minister.

Vân Đồn International Airport will be built on 290ha in Đoàn Kết Commune, Vân Đồn District, under the build-operate-transfer format, with an estimated investment capital of VNĐ7.5 trillion (US$351.8 million). This will include some VNĐ640 billion for site clearance. The project will be divided into three phases. In the first phase, the total investment will be VNĐ3.9 trillion.

Sun Group has been chosen as the strategic investor for the project, which began in 2015 and is expected to become operational in the second quarter of 2018.

Vân Đồn International Airport will be the first airport where a province has mobilised capital by itself. — VNS