HÀ NỘI — The first private airport in Việt Nam had met all required standards and was ready to be put into operation as scheduled in December, according to the State Check and Acceptance Board.

After checking Vân Đồn International Airport on Saturday, the board said that work had been completed, meeting the design quality and technical standards to be fully eligible for operation.

Deputy Minister of Construction Lê Quang Hùng urged the developers to complete relevant procedures early to put the airport into operation at the end of this month.

Vũ Văn Diện, deputy chairman of Quảng Ninh Province’s People’s Committee, said that Vân Đồn International Airport played a significant role in the northern province’s socio-economic development in general and the development of the northeast region in particular.

Diện said that Quảng Ninh was developing policies to attract tourists to the northern province by air as well as co-operating with the airport’s developers to promote flights connecting the province.

Several domestics carriers are planning to launch flights to Vân Đồn International Airport.

Vietnam Airlines will open a daily route connecting HCM City and Quảng Ninh Province on December 30.

Vietjet plans to launch routes to and from Vân Đồn International Airport in January 2019.

Construction started in March 2016 with total investment of around VNĐ7 trillion (US$304.5 million). The airport is expected to receive 500,000 passenger arrivals/departures in the first year of operation.

The airport is designed to receive 2.5 million passengers in the first phase and 5 million by 2030. — VNS