Con Dao airport set for upgrade
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has approved a VND5.2 trillion (US$230 million) plan to upgrade Con Dao Island’s airport in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
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By 2020 the airport’s runway would be large enough to receive airplanes such as the Airbus A320. Today, it can only serve smaller ART72 aircraft.
The parking area by that time would have enough space for at least eight Airbus A320s.
A new terminal with a capacity of 2 million passengers will also be built.
The upgrade and expansion plan is divided into two phases, with the first phase occurring from now to 2020, costing VND4.17 trillion. The second phase from 2020-2030 would cost more than VND1 trillion.
The Con Dao Island airport, located in the district of the same name in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, was built during the French colonial period.
It was upgraded in 2003 and put into operation a year later, serving both civil and military flights.
In the first 10 months of the year, the airport welcomed more than 325,000 passengers.
The number of passengers is expected to reach 400,000 by the end of the year, up 36% from last year.
The island, which is 230 km from HCM City, is also home to important tangible and intangible national Cultural Heritage sites and traditional arts, with great potential for ecological and spiritual tourism.
