Prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Sunday kicked off to a 16.2 trillion dong project to build a new international airport on Phu Quoc Island offshore the southern province of Kien Giang.
When in place in the second quarter of 2012, the Phu Quoc International Airport will be able to accommodate modem aircraft such as B777s and B747-400s and even Airlpbus A380-800 super jumbos. It can serve 20 aircraft at a time in peak hours and three million passengers annually.
The project, as part of a government-approved master development plan for the resort island, will cover over 905 hectares of land.
The first phase, from now till 2020, will require half of the total capital that will come from the Southern Airports Corporation, the project owner. By then, the runway, three kilometres by 45 metres, will be completed, and there will be a parallel taxiway with the same length as the runway but with a width of 25 metres.
PM Dung said at the groundbreaking ceremony that the project would give a much-needed boost to the development of the island and the nation as a whole.
He expected the island to become a national hub for tourism, services and commerce in the future thanks to the forthcoming airport.
(Saigon Times Daily)