Opening the door to tourism connectivity.

The Phan Thiet airport project was launched more than 10 years ago with the expectation of becoming an important airport serving both civilian and military purposes.

The defense component has been put into operation, but the civil aviation component has long been on hold.

According to the plan issued by the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, the civil aviation component of Phan Thiet Airport will be implemented through a bidding process to select an investor, with completion expected within 24 months from the date of signing the official contract. This includes approximately 3 months for investor selection, 4 months for completing legal procedures, and 12 months for construction of the terminal, apron, runways, and other facilities.

Currently, Sun Airport Joint Stock Company (part of the Sun Group ecosystem) has proposed investing in the civil aviation component of Phan Thiet Airport. This company has also recently established a new legal entity with an initial charter capital of 600 billion VND in the Phan Thiet coastal urban area, expected to play a key role in the operation and management of the airport in the near future.

The existing runway of the military section is proposed to be used jointly with the civilian section of Phan Thiet Airport under a special mechanism.

A key difference in this phase is that the investor proposed converting from the BOT model to investment under the Investment Law and requested a special mechanism to share the existing runway of the military section to reduce time and costs and effectively utilize what has already been built to get it operational sooner.

According to the previously approved plan, the civilian portion of Phan Thiet Airport is designed to be Category 4E, capable of serving aircraft such as the Airbus A321 and Boeing 737. The airport will have a terminal covering 16,000-18,000 m², a 45 m high air traffic control tower, aprons, taxiways, and a modern equipment system. The total investment is over 3,797 billion VND.

Upon completion, Phan Thiet Airport is expected to serve approximately 2 million passengers per year by 2030, with domestic flights and the capacity to operate some unscheduled international flights. The airport is expected to connect many popular coastal tourist routes, shortening travel time from major cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, thus contributing to attracting both domestic and international tourists.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/mo-canh-cua-ket-noi-du-lich-196260128221035762.htm