A mock-up of Sa Pa Airport. — Photo moitruongvadothi.vn

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng has asked the Ministry of Transport to approve a detailed plan for Sa Pa Airport in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai.

Earlier the provincial People’s Committee submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, seeking approval to build the airport under a public-private partnership.

In early 2018, the Prime Minister approved the airport planning project until 2020 and decided to elevate the designed capacity of Sa Pa Airport to 3 million passengers per year.

Deputy Prime Minister Dũng ordered the Lào Cai Province’s People’s Committee to collaborate with the transport ministry and relevant agencies to work on the project’s investment and construction.

The Sa Pa Airport will be located in Bảo Yên District with investment of more than VNĐ5.9 trillion (US$251 million).

Construction is scheduled to start this year and be completed in 2021. It will be built according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

The provincial authorities sought financial assistance from the State budget of more than VNĐ3 trillion ($127.7 million) for building airport infrastructure. VNĐ910 billion ($38 million) will come from the local budget for land clearance and resettlement compensation. — VNS