Aircraft parked at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport was assigned to draw up an expansion plan in order to raise the annual capacity of Nội Bài International Airport to between 80 and 100 million passengers by 2050.

Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng made the request yesterday.

Nội Bài is Việt Nam’s most important airport and the international gateway of the country’s northern region. The airport has received investment for upgrades in recent years to meet the socio-economic development requirements of the capital city and the northern provinces.

The airport currently handles more traffic than its intended capacity. This year, the airport has suffered from overloading, resulting in the deterioration of runways, taxiways and aprons.

According to the deputy PM, the aviation sector has seen significant growth between 2015-2017, growing about 23 per cent in passenger numbers and 15.5 per cent in cargo.

This year the country’s aviation sector is estimated to carry 106 million passengers and 1.29 million tonnes of cargo.

However, the deputy PM acknowledged that economic development had led to increased demand for passengers and goods transportation while the road and rail networks was lagging behind, putting pressure on aviation infrastructure and resulting in overloading at airports such as Nội Bài and Tân Sơn Nhất.

“The reason for this was due to poor forecasting and planning, inadequate construction investment and vague legal regulations on construction,” said the deputy PM.

To ensure Nội Bài remains a modern airport, the deputy PM asked the Ministry of Transport to work with experts and trusted consultancy services to review the airport development plan by 2030.

The deputy PM wanted the airport to be able to handle 50 million passengers per year, to ensure that it is able to receive 80 to 100 million passengers per year by 2050.

The Transport Ministry will receive non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) to prepare plans for expanding Nội Bài International Airport.

The Hà Nội People’s Committee was also asked to work with the Transport Ministry in managing the land fund for the airport expansion project by 2050 as well as prepare ground clearance plans and land for reallocation.

The committee will co-operate with the Construction Ministry to study an airport urban development plan which meets the demands of sustainable economic development.

The Transport Ministry will also propose investment funds for and carry out repairs for the airport.

The ministry will also prepare to implement phase 2 of construction on the international passenger terminal 2 (T2) project, which will be able to handle 15 million passengers in 2020 and means the airport can handle a total of 30 million passengers in the next three years.

The Ministry of Transport will also ask the aviation sector to intensify the inspection and supervision of the performance of State management and improvement of service quality.

Nội Bài International Airport is handling more traffic than its intended capacity. – VNA/VNS Photo Việt Hùng

Vân Đồn Airport

Yesterday, the deputy PM also gave instructions on safety, quality and progress of the Vân Đồn International Airport project in Quảng Ninh Province.

The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Transport to chair and co-ordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review planning, laws on investment management, construction, and use of land and State capital investment so as to ensure quality, aviation safety and national defence and security.

The work must be reported to the Prime Minister next month.

Additionally, enterprises participating in investment, construction and doing business in the aviation field were also instructed to strictly comply with the provisions of the Investment Law, the Civil Aviation Law and other relevant regulations.

Vân Đồn International Airport in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh is in the final stages of construction work as it prepares to receive its first flight in December this year.

About 95 per cent of the total construction on the airport has been completed.

Construction on the airport started in 2015 with total investment of VNĐ7.5 trillion (US$330 million).

Located in Đoàn Kết Commune in Vân Đồn District, the airport covers 288ha and is the first in Việt Nam to operate under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. 

It will have support facilities, a two-module terminal and functional areas. A cargo terminal is expected to be built by 2030 with a capacity of at least 51,000 tonnes. 

Under a March decision by the Ministry of Transport, Vân Đồn will be an international airport, serving both civilian and military flights with a 3.6km-long runway. The airport will have an annual capacity of 2-2.5 million passengers by 2020, which will increase to five million by 2030. 

As Vân Đồn District is among the three special economic zones planned in the country, the airport is expected to boost the local economy, including tourism to Hạ Long Bay.

The airport is located roughly 50km northeast of the world heritage site in Quảng Ninh Province. — VNS