Investment in Con Dao Airport approved

The Minister of Transport issued a decision on August 18 approving adjustments to the planning of Con Dao Airport for the period to 2030, with total investment of VND5.5 trillion ($241.67 million). Under the decision, the airport, located on Con Dao Island in southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, will be upgraded to serve as a domestic airport for both civil and military use, with capacity increased to 2 million passengers a year and 4,400 tons of cargo by 2030.

In July, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) submitted the adjustment to planning of Con Dao Airport in the period to 2030, with capital for investment and upgrading of about VND5.4 trillion ($236.70 million), to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

The airport currently operates only during daytime, with a capacity of welcoming 400,000 passengers a year. Under the approved plan, capacity will reach 500,000 passengers a year by 2025.

This adjustment aims to renovate and upgrade various facilities at the airport, such as runways, taxiways, the lighting system, and the management station, etc. The project will also build new taxiways, a new air traffic control tower in the east of the passenger terminal, and a new station to the southeast of the existing station.

Con Dao Airport has been posting passenger growth in excess of forecasts. In 2020, despite Covid-19, passenger numbers still reached 447,750, an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to 2019 and exceeding capacity.