illustrative image (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - Early last month the Civil Aviation Administrationof Vietnam (CAAV) submitted plans to expand Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son NhatAirport to the Ministry of Transport for approval.
The work is estimated to cost around 19.35 trillion VND (860million USD) and is part of the Government’s goals for 2020.
According to the proposal, the airfield’s current runways willremain unchanged, though a new way will be added.
Two quick exit taxiways will be built between the runways, whileextra taxiways will be added to facilitate aircraft movement.
The existing apron will be expanded to an area of 19.97 hectareson land belonging to the defence ministry.
Another apron will be built in front of a planned bimodal terminalthat will expand Tan Son Nhat’s parking capacity from 83 aircraft to 89aircraft.
The expansion plan has attracted lots of interest from airportdevelopers.
Lien Thai Binh Duong Import –Export Company (IPP) became thelatest investor to join the race to build terminals 3 and 4.
IPP has been a partner of the CAAV for several years and is also amajor shareholder in the Southern Aviation Service Company (SASCO).
The company promises to complete the construction within 18 monthsif it gets the contract.
Earlier, a joint venture company ATAD Steel Structure Corporationand Nam Viet A Development and Construction Investment Company also submitted abid to the Ministry of Transport.
However, Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company had been the firstto evince interest.
The country’s largest low-cost carrier made a bid to buildterminal 4 with a capacity of 10 million passengers a year on a 21 hectaresite.
It also wants to set up a 3.048 trillion VND aviation technicalservices complex on a 30ha site at the airport.
This will include a cargo terminal with capacity of 300,000 tonnesa year, a facility to repair and maintain aircraft and another to providecatering services to airlines.
The Government’s policy of calling for private participation inmajor infrastructure projects seems to be paying off.
It also indicates the strong growth in the financial and technicalcapabilities of domestic players, which allows them to bid for large andimportant infrastructure works.
The plan to expand Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s capacityto 45 million passengers a year is likely to be realised soon, experts said.-VNA
VNA
