Hai Phong to upgrade airport

Cat Bi International Airport should be able to receive up to 2 million travellers and 17,000 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2015, according to new plans announced on Tuesday.

Vu Duy Mat, Head of Office of Cat Bi International Airport, confirmed yesterday with Viet Nam News that the airport is ready to launch the upgrade soon.

"We have prepared necessary procedures and resources to begin the upgrade in 2008," Mat said.

Decision 1857/QD – TTg, ratified by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, approved an investment of more than VND1,700 billion (US$106 million) for the upgrade, ongoing to 2015, with work continuing to 2025. The upgrade will be done in three phases, with an investment of VND960.8 billion ($60 million) from now until 2010, VND291.9 billion ($18 million) from 2010 – 2015 and VND451.9 billion ($28 million) until 2025.

Trinh Quang Su, Chairman of Hai Phong People’s Committee, highlighted the significance of the upgrades.

"The investment into Cat Bi international airport will open new opportunities for the city’s economic development," Su said.

"The upgraded airport, together with deep waterports in Lach Huyen District and Ha Noi - Hai Phong highway will create favourable conditions for tourism and economic development of not only Hai Phong but neighbouring provinces as well," Mat said.

The upgrade will bring the airport up to 4E international standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and first level military airport standards, with the completed airport covering a total area of nearly 500 ha. From now to 2015, the airport’s landing and departing runways will be expanded to 3,050 by 50 metres, enough to receive Airbus A321 planes of around 180 seats and planes similar in size to the Boeing B767. The current landing space will be upgraded and eight parking locations will also be constructed.

The visiting area will be able to receive up to 800 visitors an hour while the new cargo station will have the capacity to handle 17,000 tonnes a year.

Plans for the visiting area include a commerce and service space covering 2,000sq.m in 2015 and expanding to 4,000sq.m in 2025. A food preparation area is also planned at 760sq.m by 2015, growing to 3,000sq.m in 2025.

By 2025, the airport will grow to handle B747 – 400 and B777 planes (of around 300 seats) or equivalent. During this phase the visiting station will be expanded to handle up to 1,400 visitors during peak hours while the cargo station should have a capacity of 82,000 tonnes a year.

Currently, Cat Bi International Airport handles three flights to HCM City per day. The Hai Phong - Macau flight, cancelled in 2007, should resume soon in 2008, according to Mat.

Last year, 1,142 planes passed through Cat Bi International Airport carrying 184,000 passengers, according to Vu Minh Khue, the airport’s director. Although the number of departing planes decreased over 2006 because of the cancelled Macau – Hai Phong flight, the number of passengers increased annually.

The occupancy rate of planes going through Hai Phong reached 87 per cent in 2007, an increase from 78 per cent in 2006.