Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has signed a decision approving a new zoning plan for upgrading Cam Ranh Airport in central Vietnam to international standards with total capital of VND10.5 trillion (US$590 million).

The investment capital will be raised from different sources including the State budget and private investments to turn the airport in Khanh Hoa Province into one that meets the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and a first-class military airfield.

More than VND3.4 trillion will be invested until 2020 and the rest in the 2020-2030 period. By 2020, the airport will be able to handle 27 types of aircraft such as ART 72s, Airbus A320s and A350s, as well as Boeing B737s, B767s, B777s and B474Fs at a time.

Cam Ranh International Airport is designed to receive 5.5 million passengers and 100,000 tons of cargo a year by 2020. Around 32 parking plots for aircraft will be developed in the 658-hectare airport, and four more will have gone up by 2030.

Facilities will also be built on 35,000 square meters in the airport area to train pilots and mechanics by 2020. A 2,000-square-meter hangar and a 4,800-square-meter office area for airlines will be made available at the airport.

The airport will have a new runway, 3,048 meters long and 45 meters wide. The plan envisages upgrading the existing runway between 2020 and 2030.

By 2030, the airport will be able to handle 37 airplanes at a time, and eight million passengers a year.

A non-aviation area comprising of offices for lease, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, conference rooms, post office, culture and sports centers will be developed when there are demands for these facilities.

Formerly used as a military airfield, Cam Ranh was turned into a civilian airport in 2004 and an international airport in 2007. This is one of the 10 airports to be expanded and developed in Vietnam as outlined in a revised zoning plan recently announced by the Ministry of Transport.

Cat Bi, Chu Lai, Cam Ranh, Phu Bai and Can Tho will meet international standards after their forthcoming upgrades while Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai and Danang will be expanded to better serve international flights.

The two new airports – Phu Quoc offshore Kien Giang Province and US$5-billion Long Thanh in Dong Nai Province – will join the list of 10 international airports in Vietnam.

Phu Quoc International Airport has been under construction since November last year and is scheduled for opening in the second quarter of 2012. This US$707-million airport is designed to handle 20 aircraft including modern planes like Boeing B777, B747s and Airbus A380-800s at a time, and three million passengers a year.

(Source: Vietnews)