A model of the Long Thành International Airport in Đống Nai Province. VNS File Photo/news.zing.vn

HCM CITY -- The construction of Long Thành International Airport must be started by early 2021, Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng said during a visit to its site on Wednesday.

At a meeting with the People’s Committee of Đồng Nai Province, where the airport is planned, Dũng said provincial authorities had surveyed lands and planned construction of resettlement areas for households affected by the airport project.

Complaints about the project had also been resolved, he said.

So relevant agencies must concentrate their efforts on the construction of the airport because it was a national-scale project, he said.

He called on ministries and other relevant agencies to monitor and to assess every stage of the project and assist the Đồng Nai authorities with finalising investment plans.

“Contractors will be chosen and equipment for the project will be purchased shortly after the project is ratified. Construction of the first stage of the project will start in early 2021 to mark the Party’s 13th Congress.”

According to the province People’s Committee, land acquisition, site clearance and resettlement of people affected by the project are underway.

Land compensation rates for the 1,810ha area to be acquired for the airport will be fixed by the end of 2020.

Infrastructure for electricity, water supply and waste processing has been built in the resettlement areas for households affected by the project.

Provincial authorities plan to also build infrastructure to facilitate transportation of construction materials and machinery to the site.

During a meeting with the province People’s Committee, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà said his ministry would send officials to Đồng Nai to help provincial authorities resolve difficulties related to land acquisition.

Speaking at a conference in Hà Nội in February Dũng had said construction had become urgent since Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in neighbouring HCM City was seriously overloaded.

The new airport in Đồng Nai should become an aviation hub for Southeast Asia, he said.

He urged the transport ministry and consulting companies to ensure safety, convenience, quality, efficiency, national defence and security, and environmental protection.

He called on the private sector to invest in the project.

He also urged relevant agencies to complete the feasibility report.

The report has to be submitted to the Government and then the National Assembly this year.

The Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV), which operates 21 airports in the country, said it could bring in the US$1-1.5 billion needed for the first phase of the airport’s construction. 

It is currently working with the Ministry of Transport and Đồng Nai authorities to acquire 1,800ha of land for the first phase.

Land for airport 

Đồng Nai authorities recently decided to hand over 1,165 hectares of land.

Nearly 5,400ha of land will be acquired in Long Thành District, 5,000ha for the airport, according to the People’s Committee. 

Some 17,000 people will have to be relocated. 

Đinh Quốc Thái, chairman of the province People’s Committee, said the project is the largest ever in Đồng Nai, affecting 5,000 households to whom compensation of nearly VNĐ18 trillion would need to be paid. 

The total cost for clearance, compensation and resettlement will be VNĐ22.85 trillion ($978 million).

Once fully operational, Long Thành Airport will reduce the load on Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City, handling 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of freight each year.

It will spread over an area of more than 5,580 hectares in six communes, and cost VNĐ336.63 trillion.

In the first of three phases, a runway and a passenger terminal along with other supporting works will be built to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2025.

In the second phase, one more runway and another terminal will be built to handle 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo.

After the third phase is completed, it will be able to serve 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo annually. — VNS