A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for Phan Thiet Airport.— VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Thanh

BINH THUAN (Biz Hub) — A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for Phan Thiet Airport in Thien Nghiep Commune, Phan Thiet City in the south-central province of Binh Thuan.

The first of its kind built under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) form, the airport is being constructed in two phases with an initial cost of about VND5.6 trillion (US$263 million). Covering 543 ha with a 2,400m runway and a 5,000sq.m terminal, the airport is for civilian and military purposes, as well as for organising rescue efforts.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai stressed the importance of the airport to economic development and security-defence.

Le Tien Phuong, Chairman of the Binh Thuan provincial People's Committee, highlighted the airport's role in boosting the province's socio-economic development and security-defence, saying that the project was expected to attract more investors and tourists to the locality.

Rang Dong JSC has been chosen by the provincial People's Committee as the investor of the civilian section of the airport with a total investment of more than VND1.64 trillion ($77 million).

During the first phase of construction, from now until 2020, the airport will be built on an area of 360ha with a runway and a terminal that can handle 300 passengers during peak hours, equivalent to 5,000 passengers with 10,000 tonnes of cargo per year. The fully constructed airport is expected to receive one million passengers and 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of cargo per year.

According to the Binh Thuan Transport Department, 328 ha or 60 per cent of the project land has been cleared for the investor. The department is co-operating with the relevant branches to clear the rest of the land.

Phan Thiet Airport is expected to receive its first passengers by 2017.

The airport will connect Binh Thuan to domestic destinations such as HCM City, Nha Trang, Buon Ma Thuot and Phu Quoc Island, as well as Da Nang, Tuy Hoa and Binh Dinh provinces. — VNS