Vietnam would have 30 airports by 2030 and 33 by 2050 with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City being the two major hubs. — VNA/VNS
HANOI: Vietnam is expected to have two regional hubs for international air transit by 2050 – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, according to the national airport master plan of the Transport Ministry.
Under the plan, Vietnam would have 30 airports by 2030 and 33 by 2050 with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City being the two major hubs.
By 2050, Cat Bi International Airport will be replaced by Hai Phong International Airport, and three new domestic airports will be developed, including Cao Bang, Cat Bi and Nam Hanoi, bringing the total across the country to 33.
The Transport Ministry said that 95% of the population will be within 100km of an airport by 2030 and 97% by 2050, higher than the current world average of 75% and equivalent to other countries in the region.
Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang said that many localities want airport access to promote socio-economic development.
However, ensuring efficient investment and operations is the most important factor in planning.
“Airports considered to be efficient and have resources for investment will be included in the planning while inefficient ones will be removed,” said Thang.
Thang added that the announcement last week of the airport planning also aimed to prevent rumours which could inflate real estate prices.
Deputy Transport Minister Le Anh Tuan said that there were currently 22 airports in the country, which play an important role in ensuring national defence and security and promoting socio-economic development.
The transport ministry worked with the National Defence Ministry and localities to review each airport and come up with a set of criteria to evaluate the demand and efficiency.
If there is strong demand for an airport for socio-economic development, the Transport Ministry will report to the government to adjust the plan, Tuan said, adding that a project on raising capital for investing in airports was being completed and would be proposed to the Prime Minister.
The planning target is that by 2030, airports will handle around 276 million passengers per annum, accounting for a 1.5% to 2% share of the market worldwide, and handle 4.1 million tonnes of cargo, or 0.05 to 0.1% of the global cargo transportation market.
Vietnam has huge demand and potential for air transport development, thus, the airport planning will be based on attracting investment into this sector and paving the way for private investors to participate in developing aviation infrastructure.
Investing in aviation infrastructure is a difficult field, Pham Ngoc Sau from Sovico said, adding that it is necessary to develop a mechanism to attract private investment in airport development.
In the latest proposal for the project on raising capital for airport development, the CAAV noted that a public-private partnership was proposed, in which the government can decide its capital contribution to each project.
To date, five master plans of the transportation sector, including roads, railway networks, seaports, airports and inland waterways have been approved, which will form the base of attractive projects to investors. — Viet Nam News/ANN
