The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has proposed the Ministry of Transport add nine airports to the national airport planning for 2030 with a vision to 2050.

The proposed airports are in Ha Giang Province (Tan Quang), Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang (Na Hang), Ha Tinh, Kon Tum (Mang Den), Quang Ngai (Ly Son), Khanh Hoa (Van Phong), Dak Nong and Tay Ninh.

The proposal was raised after the CAA spent a month working directly with ten provinces on the proposal of developing airports in these provinces. One proposal for an airport in Moc Chau in Son La Province was eliminated because of the unfavourable weather conditions.

CAA urged localities to set up feasibility reports and capital-raising plans for building the airports, adding that the State budget would not provide capital for developing these airports.

According to the airport planning which the Ministry of Transport submitted to the Government, there will be 28 airports across the country by 2030 and 31 by 2050.

The transport ministry raised six standards for airport development, including cargo transportation demand, socio-economic development demand, national defence and security, emergency and relief response, natural condition and approach distance.

Pham Huu Son, General Director of TEDI, which was providing consultancy to airport planning, said that these standards aimed to prevent the waste of resources and served as the base for private investors to quantify the efficiency when investing in airport development following public–private partnerships.

Priority should be given to remote areas and islands or localities with large potential for tourism development, Son said.

He added that as the economy was developing rapidly, airport planning needed to be flexible and open to allow localities to actively call for investment in developing the infrastructure system.

Currently, there are 22 airports in Viet Nam, including 12 international and ten domestic ones. A new international airport, Long Thanh, is under construction. — VNS