Expansion work begins at Cam Ranh Airport

The need for the terminal expansion has been felt for some time now, said Nguyen Nhat, deputy minister of the Ministry of Transport, in a speech at the ground breaking ceremony.

He said the project has a total budgeted cost of US$180 million but that it is spread out over three phases to be constructed through 2030. Phase 1 will increase the capacity of the terminal to accommodate 2.5 million passengers per year.

While phase two will bump it up to four million passengers annually with phase three reaching a capacity of eight million passengers by 2030. Minister Nhat didn’t elaborate on how the construction would be financed.

The terminal expansion is expected to have an enormous influence on the development of the region and on its business community, he said, noting at the same time the scope for establishing business parks around the airport is being improved.

Also important for the region is the project’s effect on local employment. It is estimated to provide hundreds of jobs during the construction phases and hundreds more jobs when the terminal is in operation.

It is hoped the expanded terminal will make the region even more attractive as a centre for all kinds of events, conferences, congresses and fairs, and as a place of learning and research, as well as for tourism and business activity.