The proposal was made by the project consultant JFV which is the joint venture of firms from Japan, France and Vietnam. In May this year, the joint venture won a contract on a consultancy and feasibility study for the first phase of the proposed Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.
Long Thanh International Airport
Nguyen Khac Phong, office manager of Long Thanh International Airport project management board, said JFV’s work was on schedule.
For flight route operation, the consultant suggested that 85% of Vietnam Airlines’ international routes and 12% of the carrier’s domestic flights currently at Tan Son Nhat International Airport should be transferred to Long Thanh International Airport when it becomes operational.
Meanwhile, flights of other airlines Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific, Vasco and Bamboo Airways at Tan Son Nhat International Airport have been recommended to be kept unchanged.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and the Aviation Airport Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) are seeking opinions from airlines on the proposal, Phong added.
According to Deputy Head of CAAV Vo Huy Cuong said that the decision on the air route division between the two airports should be made early to ensure the suitable design of Long Thanh International Airport.
Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho urged JFV to basically finish the project feasibility study in March next year to submit to the National Assembly for the consideration. Tho has also asked the consultant, CAAV and ACV to clearly report on the investment mode and financial plan for the project.
Long Thanh International Airport project is divided into three phases with a total investment of USD16 billion. Of the sum, the first phase is expected to cost USD5.4 billion. The project with the annual designed capacity of 25 million passengers is hoped to be put into operation in 2025 at the latest.
