Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to buildanother terminal south of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in order to reduceovercrowding there.
The decision was based on the expansion scenario proposed bythe French consultant company ADPI, Phuc said during a Government meeting inHanoi on March 28.
According to ADPI, a 200,000sq.m-wide passenger terminalcapable of serving 20 million travelers will be constructed to the south of HoChi Minh City’s sole airport. It is projected to cost about 18 trillion VND(784.8 million USD).
The land lot north of the airport, including a golf resortand 16ha of vacant land managed by the Defence Ministry, will also be used forsupporting facilities like a cargo terminal, aircraft repair station andlogistics, but not until 2025.
Other consultants hired by Ho Chi Minh City authorities proposedexpanding the airport to the north.
However, the French company argued that a similar passengerterminal built to the north, instead of the south, would cost twice as much atabout 36 trillion VND while the terminals – old and new – will not beconnected.
The Government leader asked the Ministry of Transport tolink ADPI with local consultants to finalise the expansion proposal, and startlooking for investment to begin the construction as well as possible given thatthe airport has already surpassed its planned 2020 capacity by 44 percent.
The extended Tan Son Nhat airport is expected to serve atleast 50 million passengers a year.-VNA