Vietnam’s airport operator has recommended a VND56.7 trillion ($2.4 billion) upgrade of 16 of the 21 civilian airports in the country.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) wants to renovate Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Noi Bai in Hanoi; Da Nang, Chu Lai, Cat Bi, Phu Bai, Dong Hoi, Cam Ranh, Tuy Hoa, and Vinh airports in central Vietnam; Phu Quoc and Con Dao airports on the two southern islands; Lien Khuong Airport in the Central Highlands; and Dien Bien, Na San and Lao Cai airports in the northern region.
The ACV said it would use internal resources for the upgrade in a proposal submitted to the Ministry of Transport for the development of aviation infrastructure from now through 2021.
It expected the number of passengers to grow by 10 percent a year to around 137 million by 2021.
By 2025 the figure is forecast to reach 185 million.
Head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), Dinh Viet Thang, agreed with the projections.
ACV runs all the civilian airports in the country.
It is now the main investor of the proposed Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai near HCMC.
Long Thanh will be built in three phases over three decades. The VND92.1 trillion (over $4 billion) first part is scheduled for completion in 2025, when it will handle 25 million passengers a year.
It is expected to be fully finished in 2050.
Once completed Long Thanh is expected to replace Tan Son Nhat as the largest airport in Vietnam.
Tan Son Nhat currently handles 32 million passengers a year, far above its designed capacity of 25 million.