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| The Phu Quoc International Airport receives its first international flight carrying 250 visitors from Russia. — Photo danviet.vn |
HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The Phu Quoc Airport in the Mekong Province of Kien Giang's Phu Quoc Island District received its first international flight on February 14.
The IKAR Airlines flight, carrying 250 Russian passengers, was welcomed with a reception ceremony in the morning, attended by representatives from the Russian Embassy in Viet Nam, the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam, Vietnam Airlines and authorities from Kien Giang and Phu Quoc District.
This is being seen as an important event, marking new progress in the international integration of the Phu Quoc Airport and Phu Quoc island district, which is a popular tourist destination.
Initially, Pegas Tourist and Anh Duong companies will take advantage of the weekly flight of a Boeing 757 with 250 seats from Russia to Phu Quoc.
The airport will continue to improve its services to attract more international and domestic airlines to Phu Quoc Island.
The airport was built in 2008 to replace the local airport in Duong Dong town, and became operational in 2012 with a capacity of handling 2.6 million passengers a year. It is the first international airport in Viet Nam funded by the State-owned Vietnam Airlines, with a total investment of VND16.2 trillion (US$775 million).
In 2013, the airport received nearly 700,000 passengers, an increase of 39 per cent compared with 2012. Of these arrivals, 37 per cent were foreign visitors.
The airport is ranked 4E by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and meets the operational demands of modern planes like the Boeing 777, Boeing 747-400 and similar aircraft. Meanwhile, it has been awarded C-class status by the International Air Transport Association for its level of service.
Three domestic airlines -- Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jestar Pacific -- operate at the Phu Quoc International Airport, with flights between Phu Quoc and Ha Noi, Can Tho and HCM City. On average, there are 25 arrivals and departures there by A321, A320 and ATR72 planes. — VNS