The model of Long Thanh International Airport in southern Dong Nai Province. — Photo baodautu.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Construction work on Long Thanh International Airport in HCM City will commence by early 2016, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has said.

He was speaking at an online conference between the government and localities early this week, after leaders from HCM City and Dong Nai province urged the ministry to speed up the work as soon as possible to ease the burden on Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City.

Chairman of HCM City's People's Committee Le Hoang Quan said there is an aviation overload at Tan Son Nhat Airport, which received 20 million passengers in 2013, while its capacity set for 2015 is only 13 million passengers.

"I propose the government and the Ministry of Transport should steer and give solutions to speed up the progress of construction work on Long Thanh in the next two or three years. If not, Tan Son Nhat Airport's overload of passengers will cause traffic congestion and affect the city's socio-economic development," stated Quan.

Thang noted that his ministry had set up a pre-feasibility project, which had been submitted to the State Assessment Council for approval. It is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly by May 2014.

If the Long Thanh project is approved, the first phase of work, to be put into effect by 2022, will run from 2015 to 2020, with an estimated investment capital of VND151.7 trillion ($7.2 billion). It includes two parallel runways, a passenger terminal with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year, and a cargo terminal with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of goods.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam operates 22 airports, including nine international airports: Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cat Bi, Phu Bai, Cam Ranh, Chu Lai, Phu Quoc and Can Tho. —VNS