Van Don International Airport is scheduled to officially become operational in late December (Photo: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA)– The northeastern province of Quang Ninh is considering reduction in transportationcosts for buses from Van DonInternational Airportto the centre of Ha Long city.
Tourism fees at Ha Long Bayand the Yen Tu relict site are also expected to be cut in order to raise thenumber of passengers travelling through Van Don International Airport,according to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Long.
Local departments andagencies are working on the plan to submit it to the provincial People’sCouncil for approval, he said, adding that the plan should not affect the StateBudget Law.
National flag carrier VietnamAirlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air have proposed launching flights to VanDon International Airport, which is scheduled to open in late December.
Vietnam Airlines commits toaccompanying the project’s investor - SunGroup and Quang Ninh province to launchflights to the airport on the opening day, the carrier’s General Director DuongTri Thanh said, adding that the airline will offer a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to VanDon each day.
Vietjet Air General DirectorLuu Duc Khanh said apart from traditional routes, the carrier always wants toexpand the market.
The two carriers have alsocalled on Quang Ninh to reduce airport charges and create favourable conditionsfor them to set up their representative offices in the locality.
Construction on Van Don InternationalAirport, the first of its kind in Vietnaminvested by a private investor – SunGroup, started in 2015 with total investment of 7.5 trillion VND (330 millionUSD).
Covering288ha, the airport accommodates support facilities, a two-module terminal andfunctional areas. A cargo terminal is expected to be built by 2030 with acapacity of at least 51,000 tonnes.
Under a March decision by the Ministry ofTransport, Van Don will be an international airport, serving both civilian andmilitary flights with a 3.6km-long runway. The airport will have an annualcapacity of 2-2.5 million passengers by 2020, which will increase to 5 millionby 2030.
As Van Don district is among the three specialeconomic zones planned in the country, the airport is expected to boost the localeconomy, including tourism at Ha Long Bay.
The airport is located roughly 50km northeast ofUNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province.-VNA
VNA
