Can Tho seeks logistics centres for air transport

Can Tho International Airport (Source: VNA)

Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho needs to develop logistics centres to meet increasing demand for the transportation of goods by international and domestic airlines.

Vo Thanh Thong, chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, made the statement at a recent meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s delegation. He added that four businesses have put forward proposals to develop such centres in cooperation with the city.

Logistics services for the transport of goods by air are very important for Can Tho and the Mekong Delta region, Thong said, because agricultural products, especially farming and fishery products, must be fresh if they are to be sold at high prices. Therefore, besides preservation, the moment of transport for those products is very important.

At present, Can Thơ International Airport is connected with Hanoi in the north, Da Nang in the central region, and Phu Quoc and Con Dao islands in the south. In 2019, the airport will be connected through five new domestic routes to the northern port city of Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, and Nha Trang in the central region, and Da Lat in the Central Highlands and two international routes to Bangkok (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Can Tho expects to exploit these routes for both transporting passengers and cargo, Thong said. Therefore, demand for logistics services is high, especially demand for the transport of fresh agricultural products.

Municipal authorities are in the process of studying the four investors that have made proposals to choose suitable partners, according to the official.

He said the projects need support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Transport to ensure efficiency, especially in terms of selecting partners.

At the meeting, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said the ministry would continue to discuss more details about the development of air logistics centres with Can Tho’s authorities.

He said now the MoIT is in the process of talking with a Japanese partner about the development of a food processing centre in the Mekong Delta region. Under the project, an air logistics facility will be developed to serve the food processing centre.

The minister also asked Can Tho to pay more attention to attracting enterprises, especially from the Republic of Korea and Japan.

In August 2018, Can Tho City People’s Committee and Vietnam Airlines Corporation (Vietnam Airlines) signed an agreement to develop the Can Tho Air Logistics Centre on an area of about 27 hectares next to Can Tho airport. - VNA