Construction on a new terminal at Da Nang International Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Van Son

DA NANG (Biz Hub) — Construction on a new terminal at Da Nang International Airport, costing over VND3.5 trillion (US$156 million), was kicked off yesterday by the Ministry of Transport and the People's Committee of the central city.

This is the first terminal built under the socialisation-of-investment model in the country. The Da Nang International Airport Investment and Exploitation Joint Stock Company is the investor of the project.

The seagull-inspired new terminal, covering 21,000 sq. m, is designed to symbolise Da Nang – a dynamic coastal city.

The new terminal will have 20 check-in desks, 22 check-out desks and 10 boarding gates. Its parking area is designed to receive 416 slots for 4-seat and 16-seat vehicles and 20 slots for 50-seat vehicles.

The terminal will have a large area for shopping and food-and-drink services to better serve passenger demand.

The terminal is expected to serve 4 million to 6 million passengers each year when it is put into operation in 2017.

The ministry of transport said the establishment of the new terminal is aimed at improving the quality of the city's international airport as well as perfect the local infrastructure before the city hosts the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC).

Previously, Le Manh Hung, director general of the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam, the unit that proposed to build the new terminal, said that the current terminal at the Da Nang International Airport was set to handle a maximum of 6 million passengers per year.

However, as of 2014, it was serving 5 million passengers per year. With 14.5 per cent annual growth rate of passengers, the terminal would be overloaded this year, he said.

The new terminal is hoped to help the current terminal from overloading.

The current terminal, built on 14,400sq.m, became operational in 2010. — VNS