More support needed to optimise Can Tho int’l airport

The airport served more than 830,000 passengers in 2018, a figure predicted to hit 1.1 million in 2020. Passenger numbers have grown by an average of 25% each year since 2015.

The number of passengers transported via this airport is likely to reach 2.6 million and 3.3 million passengers by 2025 and 2030, respectively, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

At a recent meeting between the Ministry of Transport and Can Tho authorities, the CAAV said various foreign airlines are planning to open flights to the city, noting that a Thai carrier will launch its first flight to the Can Tho airport in March 2019. Some Chinese and Korean airlines are also eyeing the Can Tho market.

However, since it was put into operation in January 2011, the Can Tho International Airport has yet to meet the Transport Ministry’s expectations, said CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang.

He pointed to the unstable flow of passengers and a lack of policies encouraging airlines to operate flights to the airport.

Thang said the CAAV will propose the Transport Ministry issue mechanisms and policies to reduce fees to attract more airlines. He also called on local authorities to provide more incentives for carriers.

At the meeting, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The asked the Vietnam Airlines Corporation and the CAAV to promote flights linking domestic and international destinations with the Can Tho International Airport. He also requested the municipal administration issue support policies so the airport can aid the development of Can Tho and the Mekong Delta.