A model of the proposed Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai (Photo courtesy of Airports Corporation of Vietnam)Hanoi (VNA) - Thecost of the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport has been cut by 2.4trillion VND (103.5 million USD) by the State Appraisal Council.
Afterappraising the feasibility study, the council said the cost of the airport inthe southern province of Dong Naishould be 109.2 trillion VND (4.7billion USD), 2.2 percent less than theestimate made by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the developer, due to lower constructionand management costs.
Accordingto the council, the report is ready for submission to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for final approval.
TheACV had submitted a proposal for 111.6 trillion VND (4.8 billion USD) to the Ministry of Transport earlier.
Thecost concerned several lawmakers, who said it is very high compared to similarprojects in other countries.
Butthe ACV has said it is similar to the cost of Beijing Daxing InternationalAirport in China and Istanbul Airport in Turkey.
The Long Thanh InternationalAirport, a key national project, was approved by the National Assembly in 2015.
Inthe first phase, a runway and passenger terminal each along with othersupporting works will be built to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 milliontonnes of cargo each year. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
Butthe council said it would be very difficult to meet the Ministry of Transport’scompletion deadline for the first phase by 2025, adding the complexity of thework could delay the process of awarding consultancy and construction contracts.
Inaddition, experts have warned, a delay in land acquisition could delay progress.
Itis scheduled for the province to hand over an area of 1,800ha bythe end of this month and the entire land by the second quarter of 2021,according to its People’s Committee.
TheGovernment has repeatedly told the province to speed up land acquisitionand compensation payment to ensure the project remains on schedule.
Oncefully operational, the airport is expected to reduce the load on HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Some4,800 households and 26 organisations are expected to be relocated to makeway for it.
Itis expected to cost more than 336 trillion VND in total (14.45 billion USD).
Inthe second phase, a runway and passenger terminal each will be built to servearound 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo a year.
Afterthe third phase, the airport will be able to serve 100 million passengers andfive million tonnes of cargo./.
VNA
