Defense Ministry transfers land to airport expansion project

Defense Ministry transfers land to airport expansion project

Defense Ministry transfers land to airport expansion project

Le Anh

Leaders of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam take a close look at the design for the Tan Son Nhat airport expansion plan before a military land handover ceremony on February 21 – PHOTO: ANH QUAN

HCMC – The Ministry of Defense on February 21 handed over 21 hectares of military land at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport to the Ministry of Transport to carry out an airport expansion project to meet feverishly high demand for air travel.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam will develop a new apron area with 30 to 35 parking slots. It is expected to be put in service before the next Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) early next year, said Lai Xuan Thanh, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, at the land handover ceremony.

When the new parking slots are in place, the airport will have a total of some 80 slots for parking aircraft, which will help raise the airport’s passenger handling capacity to 40-50 million people a year. Besides, a new taxiway will be built to allow aircraft to quickly exit the runway after landing, making it possible for the airport to reduce overload and wait times for take-off and landing.

Thanh said the airport is expected to serve 37-38 million passengers this year. When the Government approves adjustments of the airport’s master zoning plan, work on terminals T3 and T4 could commence. At present, the investor is still working on their designs.

He noted passenger traffic from and to Tan Son Nhat, the country’s busiest airport, will continue surging significantly.

The breakneck rise in passenger traffic through the airport has worsened road traffic around the airport area, with traffic gridlock often seen at rush hour. Two overpasses at Truong Son Intersection and Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem Roundabout which are under construction will help ease traffic congestion in the area.

Defense Ministry transfers land to airport expansion project Related image(s)