Cát Bi airport set for second terminal

HẢI PHÒNG – The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has approved a project to construct a second terminal at Cát Bi International Airport in the northern port city of Hải Phòng.

The move aims to serve the growing numbers of passengers via the airport, which is expected to reach 8 million by 2025 while the amount of cargo is set to top 11,000 tonnes by 2020.

According to the CAAV, investment will be garnered from various social sources.

The Cát Bi International Airport is expected to soon face overloading spurred by a substantial surge in passengers. The number of passengers rose 42.5 per cent in 2016, while in the first three months of this year, the airport welcomed 538,000 passengers and the figure is expected to reach 2.1 million by year’s end.

Vietjet Air is suggesting investing VNĐ6 trillion (US$263.8 million) in the second terminal. The company will provide 30 per cent of the figure with the remainder arranged by the HCM City Development Bank (HDBank).

Cát Bi is a 4E-level international airport under the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, a first-level military airport and a standby for Hà Nội’s Nội Bài International Airport.

In May last year, the airport opened for operations after being shut for more than two years of upgrades.

Together with Hải Phòng International Port, Tân Vũ-Lạch Huyện Bridge and Hà Nội-Hải Phòng and Quảng Ninh-Hải Phòng Expressways, the airport has helped form a complete transport network, facilitating development and ensuring national security in the region.

It is capable of accommodating Boeing 777, Boeing 747 and similar models, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Currently, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and low-cost airlines Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific Airlines have been offering flights to and from Cát Bi International Airport, including five domestic routes to HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Pleiku and Buôn Mê Thuột. VNS