VietNamNet Bridge – Phu
Quoc Airport on the resort island of the same name is to be put up for
sale so that the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) can raise funds
for other airport projects, said the top executive of the corporation.
In
fact, the Ministry of Transport is considering transferring several
airports to other investors, and Phu Quoc Airport off the coast of the
Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang will likely be the first to change
hands.
Le Manh Hung, general director of ACV, said the ministry
wants participatory development of the aviation sector, from
infrastructure investments to human resource training. Following the
ministry’s policy, ACV is working towards selling Phu Quoc Airport, he
said.
Nguyen Nguyen Hung, board chairman of ACV, said it is not
difficult to find buyers for the airport terminals and some other
auxiliary components. However, problems will emerge when it comes to the
runway transfer because runways at many airports are used for both
civil and military purposes.
Director general of the Civil
Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) Lai Xuan Thanh said
investments in Phu Quoc airport mostly came from ACV’s capital, and
therefore it is reasonable and feasible for the corporation to sell the
airport to other investors.
The airport, developed at a cost of
VND3 trillion, was put into operation on December 15, 2012 and is the
first international airport invested by ACV.
It meets the 4E
standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization and can
receive long-range, wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 777-300, Boeing
747-400, and Airbus A380-800.
Phu Quoc Airport is expected to serve 2.65 million passengers per year by 2020 and up to 7 million passengers by 2030.
In
the January-August period, the airport handled 5,632 flights with more
than 666,000 passengers, 97.3% of the total number of passengers of the
whole 2013 and 90% of this year’s target. The number of passengers
through the airport is expected to hit one million this year, soaring
45% against last year.
Three local airlines namely Vietnam
Airlines, VietJetAir and Jetstar Pacific are operating domestic
round-trip flights from Phu Quoc to Hanoi, Can Tho and HCMC.
So
far, only Russian airline IKAR has launched an international air route
to carry Russian visitors to Phu Quoc with one chartered flight per week
along with some occasional chartered flights to the island.
Vietnam
Airlines will open two international air routes to Phu Quoc, comprising
of the Phu Quoc-Singapore route, set to be operated from November 2
with two flights per week using Airbus A321 aircraft. The other route
will be launched on December 18 to connect Phu Quoc and Siem Reap in
Cambodia with three flights per week using ATR 72 aircraft.
The
transport ministry recently has strongly backed the transfer of major
infrastructure projects in the country to have funds for infrastructure
development.
Previously, the transport ministry approved the
transfer of the right to collect toll fees on HCMC-Trung Luong
Expressway to a local investor in five years.
The ministry is
considering selling other expressway projects including HCMC-Long
Thanh-Dau Giay, Cau Gie-Ninh Binh, and Noi Bai-Lao Cai.
- Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn
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