Private airlines wait for approval to develop aviation infrastructure

FLC Group, which owns Bamboo Airways, and Vietjet Air both have expressed their willingness to develop aviation infrastructure projects. However, as Do Duc Tu from the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s (MPI) Urban Area and Infrastructure Department confirmed, they are still not allowed to do this because of the current management mechanism.

Infrastructure items are state assets which the state has temporarily assigned to ACV (the Airports Corporation of Vietnam) to manage. As ACV has to spend big money every year on maintenance and upgrading, it needs to be given favorable conditions.

However, Tu affirmed that in principle the State encourages investments from all economic sectors in infrastructure.

Sun Group, a private corporation, for example, was allowed to develop an airport in the central region which is one of the most modern airports in Vietnam.

To said private investors have an important role in aviation infrastructure development.

Dang Tat Thang, deputy chair of Bamboo Airways, said sustainable development can only be obtained based on infrastructure development.

If FLC is allowed to develop T3 Terminal, Thang affirmed that the group would need one or 1.5 years to fulfill. However, it is necessary to settle problems first.

“It is ACV which develops airports, we can develop all the infrastructure items inside the airports,” he said.

Pham Vu Nguyen Tung from Vietjet Air, once again affirming the airline’s willingness to develop Dien Bien Airport in Dien Bien province, said private investors want to get involved in the process of programming airport development.

Under the current laws, the capital for programming must be from the State. Meanwhile, the State doesn’t have much money to hire qualified experts. Vietnam needs to have sources of money for planning for sustainable development.

Vo Tri Thanh, former deputy head of CIEM (Central Institute of Economic Management), commented that Vietnam’s aviation industry’s positive aspect is that it is competitive.

Deputy head of CAAV (Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam) Pham Van Hao said the ‘picture of Vietnam’s aviation market is now beautiful thanks to the presence of private investors, such as Bamboo Airways and Sun Group, the developer of Van Don Airport’.

There are four airlines in Vietnam. About 50 percent of Vietnamese can access air travel. According to IATA (The International Air Transport Association), Vietnam will become the fifth fastest-growing aviation market in terms of international passengers and cargo to be transported.