Ministry plans to sell operation rights to int'l airports

Thang said revenue from the selling of operation rights of the international airport on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang will help modernise other airports in Vietnam.

Thang spoke at a meeting on mobilising investments for the country's aviation infrastructure, held by the Transport Ministry in Hanoi on February 25.

He asked the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to build a plan to sell 100 percent of the stakes at Phu Quoc International Airport.

Phu Quoc International Airport.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), Phu Quoc Island airport was developed with total capital of VND3 trillion (about US$141 million), mainly funded by ACV.

The sale of Phu Quoc Airport will help ACV, which provided 100 percent of funding for building the airport's terminal and runway, will result in money to be used for other aviation infrastructure projects.

Phu Quoc Airport, which was brought into operation over two years ago, can accommodate long-range aircrafts such as Boeing 777-300s, Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A380-800s.

It was designed to serve 2.65 million passengers per year by 2020 and up to seven million passengers by 2030.

It provides services to domestic flights connecting the island district with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other cities across the country operated by local carriers such as Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jestar Pacific.

If the pilot plan to sell the operation rights to Phu Quoc Airport is successful, ACV would continue to sell or transfer the operation rights of other airports. 

Minister Thang also asked ACV to map out plans to invest in projects to upgrade and renovate other airports in the country, including Cam Ranh Airport in the central province of Khanh Hoa. 

Thang also asked ACV to speed up the pilot plan to sell the operation rights of Hall E of Terminal 1 (T1) at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. 

CAAV in coordination with ACV has conducted a feasibility study for a project to enlarge the parking lots for aircraft and to build parking areas for automobiles at Tan Son Nhat Airports in HCM City. The feasibility study is scheduled to be completed in March 2015.

VNA