An aircraft at Cà Mau Airport. Currently, Cà Mau Airport only has a runway for ATR72 aircraft or equivalent and maintains only one flight route between Cà Mau and HCM City with four flights per week. — VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

Cà Mau Airport in the southernmost province of Cà Mau will be upgraded to take on five times the amount of traffic by 2030, according to the airport’s plan approved by the Ministry of Transport.

The airport will take on a million passengers a year by 2030, from a current 200,000 passengers and three million by 2050.

Currently, Cà Mau Airport only has a runway for ATR72 aircraft or its equivalent, maintaining only one flight route to HCM City, with four flights per week.

Under the plan, Cà Mau Airport will be used for both civil and military aircraft.

The airport will be upgraded from 3C to 4C (standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation) so it can handle 1,000 tonnes of cargo per year by 2030 and 3,000 tonnes by 2050.

The airport will be capable of handling the Airbus A321, A320 and the equivalent by 2030.

It will expand to cover 184,44ha of land by 2030 and 244.43ha by 2050.

The Airports Corporation of Việt Nam estimates that more than VNĐ2.25 trillion (US$88.4 million) is needed to upgrade Cà Mau Airport by 2030, excluding the expenses to clear the site. — VNS