Signing ceremony of MoU on Netherlands - Viet Nam aviation cooperation. — Photo VNS

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Royal HaskoningDHV and NACO have announced they will participate in a joint Dutch-Vietnamese government programme called "Dutch Aviation Vietnam" to develop Viet Nam's aviation sector and airport infrastructure.

A Memorandum of Understanding was on Monday signed between Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Director General Lai Xuan Thanh and Royal HaskoningDHV Director and Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) Chairman Craig Huntbatch.

Under the leadership of NACO, a group of Dutch companies together with experts from the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment will organise the dedicated transfer of know-how for attracting and managing private investment for financing, development and operation of large civil (airport) infrastructure projects, for example the new greenfield project of Long Thanh.

The programme includes a large component of capacity building for CAAV, Viet Nam Air Traffic Management, Vietnamese airlines and pilot training providers.

"The entire Southeast Asian region is important for aviation development due to the growth in travel. Vietnam is of particular importance because of the high GDP growth and the recent signing of trade agreements with the European Union and the United States," Huntbatch said.

"This will accelerate the flow of travel and tourism, which means that airport infrastructure will need to be adapted in parallel to meet this demand," he added.

"The partnership between the Dutch and Vietnamese airlines, airports and aviation service providers will contribute to Viet Nam's ambition to become a regional hub for both passenger and cargo services," ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Nienke Trooster said. — VNS