Foreign visitors at Cam Ranh International Airport, Khánh Hoà Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiên Minh

HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) is planning to upgrade Cam Ranh International Airport in the south-central coastal province of Khánh Hoà at a cost of VNĐ24.31 trillion (US$1.04 billion) between now and 2030.

Under the revised planning scheme, which has been submitted to the Ministry of Transport for approval, the airport will serve 25 million passengers and handle 55,000 tonnes of goods annually in the period.

According to the CAAV, the number of passengers through the airport has exceeded the forecast in the previous planning scheme, which was approved by the Prime Minister in 2009.

The airport was projected to receive 5.5 million passengers annually by 2020 and an annual volume of 8 million passengers by 2030. However, the airport had already served 10 million passengers in 2019.

Even though the aviation industry was seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of passengers recorded at the airport still reached about 3.3 million in 2020 and 2021 (mostly domestic visitors when COVID-19 was under control in Việt Nam). 

Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the planning scheme of the airport to match the master plan for the development of the national airport system and its actual demand, the CAAV said.

It proposed building the airport’s Terminal 1 to receive up to 21 million passengers a year and keeping the capacity of Terminal 2 unchanged at 4 million passengers per year by 2030.

By 2050, the airport can handle 36 million passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year. Terminal 2 will be renovated and merged with Terminal 1, forming a new international Terminal 1 capable of serving 24 million passengers a year.

The domestic Terminal 3 will be built with a capacity of receiving 12 million passengers annually.

The total capital needed for the upgrade of the airport during the 2030-50 period is estimated at VNĐ15.06 trillion. — VNS