Vietjet wants to upgrade Chu Lai airport

In a report sent to the ministry recently, Vietjet said Chu Lai is a potential airport as it has abundant land for more development and is located in the heart of the central region, and between the nation’s two biggest economic centers, Hanoi and HCMC, where there are many large-scale projects.

The airport currently has weak infrastructure with only one runway while its passenger and cargo terminals are in the same place with total floor space of 3,360 square meters.

Therefore, Vietjet is keen to upgrade the airport in three phases to meet its development demand.

The first phase would lengthen the runway to 3,250 meters and widen it to 65 meters from now until 2020.

It would build a passenger terminal with an annual capacity of two million people, a cargo terminal for two cargo transport firms and two hangars for aircraft maintenance and repair.

Lasting until 2025, the second stage would expand the passenger and cargo terminals to raise its passenger capacity to four million people per year and allow it to serve four cargo transport enterprises.

For the third phase after 2025, Vietjet would develop a second runway which is 3,250 meters long and 65 meters wide in the east of Chu Lai airport.

In this final stage, the airline would construct the second passenger terminal which can handle four million passengers per year, and construct a cargo terminal to fulfill the need for transporting goods in Quang Nam Province and nearby areas.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) under the transport ministry said Vietjet’s proposal matches the already-approved master development plan for airports.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Nhat has asked the airline to draw up an investment plan for the project and submit it to the CAAV before reporting to the ministry in November.