HCMC – The national aviation authority has proposed the Ministry of Transport seek the prime minister’s approval for Son La Province to serve as the developer of the Na San airport project.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the Na San airport was built in 1950 in the northern upland province of Son La. Until the 1960s, the airport resumed operations after being shut for a long time due to few passengers. In 1994, it reopened before closing down again in 2004 as its infrastructure facilities were rundown.
In 2015, following the Transport Ministry’s zoning plan, CAAV coordinated with Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and the relevant units to map out a plan to rebuild the airport with a total investment of nearly VND2 trillion. However, the next investment steps ground to a halt due to capital shortage.
Four years later, ACV again proposed building the Na San airport project in accordance with the zoning plan, with a total capital of VND2.3 trillion. The project was then suspended due to financial woes.
In March this year, the provincial government of Son La wrote to the prime minister, proposing building the Na San airport under the public-private partnership and seeking his nod to allow Son La to act as the executing agency of the project. The project will need an estimated VND2 trillion.
Under the Transport Ministry’s zoning plan about the national airport system pending the prime minister’s approval, the Na An airport is projected to operate A320/A321 aircraft or the equivalents by 2030, serving one million passengers per year. By 2050, the airport’s capacity will double.
According to an orientation scheme on mobilizing private capital, the Na San airport was classified in Group 3 along with other airports such as Dien Bien, Dong Hoi, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, Rach Gia, Ca Mau and Con Dao.
