First BOT airport project gliding along
The information was disclosed at a recent meeting between the ministry (MoT) and the management authority, held in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh, to review the project’s progress and reaffirm commitment to meet the project time frame, according to newswire dddn.com.vn.
“From the province’s side, the work has gone as per the planned roadmap and duly met the time schedule. We commit to finalising the construction of the airport and receive the first flights right away, in 2017’s fourth quarter,” said Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Chairman of Quang Ninh People’s Committee, also deputy head of Quang Ninh Province’s Project Steering Board.
According to Thanh, the findings of the project’s feasibility study were approved and privately-run Sun Group was selected as the project investor, one of the major developers on the domestic real estate market. The project enterprise is Van Don Investment Development JSC.
As for site clearance, approximately 252 hectares (ha) out of a total 284ha of the project site and 75.8 out of 76ha of the planned runway space has been cleared. The clearance of the remaining 30ha is set for completion by the end of February.
Regarding other associated infrastructure linking the airport to the province’s main arteries, the road from Halong city to Van Don, which hosts the airport, has basically completed its site clearance. The whole road network is set to be completed in early 2018 to ensure connectivity to the modern Halong-Haiphong expressway, Thanh shared.
According to Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat, Vietnam has yet to implement any airport building projects under the BOT investment management model such as the Quang Ninh airport project, making the endeavour a pilot model.
Relevant management agencies, therefore, must prepare further studies to present the most inclusive model with the most diverse investment capital sources to facilitate the success of not only Quang Ninh Airport, but other airport projects as well.
“Based on proposals from Quang Ninh and the developer, we shall all scale up efforts to ensure the project’s completion in the fourth quarter of 2017,” Nhat stressed.
As the airport project goes under a BOT format, Nhat has asked the project consultancy unit to review the project feasibility study to ensure the clarity of the financial schemes, as well as the effective operation and management of the airport. The review must be completed and submitted to the MoT by March 20, 2016.
Quang Ninh Airport is planned to be built in Doan Ket commune in Quang Ninh province’s Van Don district over a 290ha area.
The airport will consist of one runway and a parking space capable of accommodating at least four Boeing 777s and Airbus 321s.
The project reports a total investment capital of nearly VND7.5 trillion ($344 million), including VND5.25 trillion ($241 million) for equipment and construction cost and VND734 billion ($33.6 million) for land acquisition. The time for recouping capital is 45 years.
The passenger volume through Quang Ninh airport is forecast to reach two million a year by 2020, increasing to five million by 2030.
By Anh Duc