Lao and Vietnamese officials on My 15 attend the handover ceremony of Nongkhang Airport in Xamneua district, Huaphan province. -VT
HUAPHAN, Laos (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): The Vietnamese government on Monday (May 15) handed over Nongkhang Airport in Xamneua district, Huaphan province, following completion of its construction by a Vietnamese company.
The handover ceremony was attended by Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ngampasong Muongmany; Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Tran Quoc Phuong; and the Governor of Huaphan province, Vanxay Phengsoumma.
The new airport is classified as Category 3C and can accommodate 70-100-seat aircraft such as the ATR 72, Fokker 70, MA-60, Fokker-100 or equivalent.
Project Manager Phouthong Inthaseng said “The construction of Nongkhang Airport is part of the strategic development plan of the public works and transport sector in the field of civil aviation and supports the government’s policy to transform Laos into a regional and global link.
The airport has been built in line with standards required by the Department of Civil Aviation and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).”
Construction of the airport began on Oct 7, 2013, with the Department of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, as the owner of the project.
The project was funded by a loan of US$82,041,562 from Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Agricultural Joint Stock Company (HAGL Agrico). The initial value of the loan was US$74,006,320 and this was increased by US$8,035,242 to fund additional work.
The runway is 2,400m long and 30m wide, with a 3-metre-wide shoulder on each side and safety zones at the end and on the side. The two-storey passenger terminal covers 3,288sq m and can handle 100,000 people a year.
There is still more work to be done at the airport in terms of interior decor and other finishing touches, to comply with project guarantees.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ngampasong said the construction of Nongkhang Airport was a major national project.
The government of Vietnam had assisted HAGL Agrico to provide a loan to the Lao government to build the airport as part of the development of infrastructure to transform Laos from a landlocked country into a regionally and globally connected country, in line with the development plan of the public works and transport sector.
“The success of this project is another result confirming that the special unity and comprehensive cooperation between the two parties, governments and peoples of Laos and Vietnam is being multiplied and continuously growing,” Ngampasong said.
