Construction of the runway No 2 of Cam Ranh International Airport in Cam Ranh city, the central province of Khanh Hoa, began on March 15.

The work is to serve the airport’s long-term development target as well as helping ease the current overloading situation.

The project, which has a total investment of over 1.9 trillion VND, includes a runway with 3,048m in length and 45m in width, and a 3,094sq.m ground among other facilities.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai underscored the necessity to construct the project, saying that it will help meet the demand on socio-economic development and security and defence of Khanh Hoa and the southern central region in general.

He asked local authorities, the project’s investor and contractors to work closely to ensure the progress and quality of the project after 36 months of construction.

Built by the US for military purposes during wartime, Cam Ranh Airport was turned to domestic civil use from 2004. In 2009, the Government decided to upgrade it into an international airport with the launch of a terminal of welcoming 1.5 million passengers per year.

Since 2011, the airport has become one of the four leading airports in terms of the number of passengers. In 2014 alone, the airport served over 2 million passengers.-VNA