Le Tri Thanh, vice chairman of the central province of Quang Nam, said that the Government has approved a plan to develop the Chu Lai Airport into an international transport and aviation service center, with an annual capacity of five million passengers and five million tons of cargo by 2030.
A Vietjet Air plane lands at Chu Lai Airport
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Chu Lai Airport was built by the United States before 1975 and was closed after the Vietnam War. The airport was reopened in 2004 and it has been capable of receiving large aircraft since 2015.
The number of passengers traveling to and from Chu Lai Airport surged from 155,000 in 2015 to 680,000 in 2017, causing the airport difficult to meet the rising transport demand.
According to Thanh, with the current area of 2,300 hectares and being able to expand by another over 3,000 hectares, Chu Lai Airport qualifies to become an aviation logistics center as it is easy to transport from the Chu Lai Airport to all dynamic areas in Southeast Asia and South Asia such as China, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
Recognizing the great potential of Chu Lai airport, Minister The agreed to assign the Aviation Administration of Vietnam in collaboration with the Quang Nam People's Committee to study the detailed planning.
"With more than 2,000 hectares of land, besides the aviation, we have to do to develop supporting industries and other related fields, including the establishment of a non-tariff trading area,” The said.
It is necessary to develop the Chu Lai Airport into an international gateway, easing the transport from the province to foreign destinations, he said.
In a recent meeting with the American investors, leaders from the Quang Nam province also hoped that American firms to invest in the province’s Chu Lai Airport to turn it become an international aviation hub.
Together with the Chu Lai Airport, leaders of the Quang Nam province also said that its Ky Ha Port also has high potentials but hasn’t exploited yet.
According to a master plan to 2020 with vision to 2030, cargo transport through the port is expected at some 5-5.8 million tons per year by 2020, and 11.7-12.7 million tons per year by 2030.
Quang Nam province also plans to upgrade the Ky Ha Port for cruise services to nearby islands of Cu Lao Cham and Ly Son as well as tourist sites such as Hoi An Ancient Town.
The province will also build a reception area and accommodations at the port and upgrade the cargo quay into a tourism service pier. The Ky Ha Port, which allows cargo ships with a capacity of 20,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage), can be used for cruise and speed boats over the summer holidays, according to the province’s leaders.
