Transport ministry requests early construction of Quang Tri airport

The feasibility report of Quang Tri Airport in the eponymous central province should be completed quickly to pave the way for project execution, a deputy minister of transport said.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang made the request during his recent meeting with the provincial leaders. The project was approved by the transport ministry in January 2011, with investment under the public-private partnership (PPP) model until 2030.

On August 22, the Quang Tri People’s Committee called on investors to engage in the research and assessment of matters relating to the airport construction.

As approved, project investment preparations would proceed from 2021 to 2024; construction 22 months since the signing date of the contract; and operation and capital return, 47 years and four months.

The BOT project is expected to cost VND5,822 billion ($243.7 million) - VND2,913 billion for phase 1 and VND2,909 billion for phase 2.

Quang Tri Airport is designed to be a 4C category civil airport (capable of accommodating narrow-body jets) in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, and also a level 2 military airport.

Located in Gio Quang and Gio Mai communes, Gio Linh district, the airport has a designed capacity of handling one million passengers and 3,100 tons of cargo per year by 2030.

The capacity is expected to reach 2.2 million passengers per year by 2046 and around 5,600 tons of cargo by 2042.

In the second phase, the passenger terminal will be expanded in 2047 to serve five million passengers per year. The cargo terminal will also be upgraded in 2043 to handle 13,700 tons and in 2059 to reach the capacity of 25,500 tons.

Vietnam has 22 airports in operation now, including 12 in the central region. Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue provinces, which border Quang Tri, are home to Dong Hoi and Phu Bai airports, respectively.

The new airport is expected to drive socio-economic development in Quang Tri province, which was once a fierce battlefield during the Vietnam war against U.S. forces, and strengthen national defence in the central region.

In 2021, the Ministry of Transport had asked relevant authorities to review the airport plan because of the Quang Tri airport’s proximity to both Dong Hoi (93 kilometers) and Phu Bai (88 kilometers) airports. Some experts warned that such proximity may lead to inefficiency and waste.