Aviation infrastructure in Vietnam received a boost following the inauguration of its first private airport, the Van Don International Airport. Connecting Quang Ninh province with other provinces and cities in the country as well as internationally, the Van Don International Airport is a modern airport with state-of-the-art facilities and colossal infrastructure. The construction of the airport took over two years to complete. The airport’s terminal design is inspired by the natural beauty of Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site. The airport has been designed as a mixed-use facility to be used for both commercial and military purposes.

Salient features

The Van Don International Airport is located in Quang Ninh province, which is about 200 km west of Hanoi and about 120 km from the border with China. The airport has been approved by Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport as a Grade 4E airport (according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard code). The airport can handle some of the advanced aircraft in the world including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, A320 and A321.

Spread over a total area of 325 hectares, the Van Don International Airport has a terminal capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year, cargo handling capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year and a terminal area of 26.99 square metres. The runway being 3.6 km long and 45 metres wide can facilitate landing of even the world’s most advanced aircraft. The airport is also equipped with an instrument landing system (ILS CAT II), four jet bridges (one Code E bridge and three Code C bridges), and four telescopes for passengers travelling from the station to the plane and an aircraft parking area with seven stands.

Besides, the airport has been fitted with modern equipment to enhance passenger experience. Sourced from Belgium, the system of runway and apron beacon lights meets CAT II standards, which ensures that the power supply meets ICAO standard after one second of power failure. The aircraft can land at both ends of the runway of the airport.

Besides, a range of aeronautical and non-aeronautical services are being provided at the airport. While the aeronautical services include check-in counters, security screening points, customs and immigration, non-aeronautical services include duty-free and food and beverage (F&B) services.

For enhancing passenger experience, a fresh green space in the area leading to the terminal has been added along with tree plantations across the parking area. Further, environment-friendly and energy-efficient inputs like the wooden roof system have been used to develop the airport. The special design of the airport makes it possible to have an open space inside it. A hanging garden inside the airport sets it apart from others.  To ensure a smooth journey for passengers, airport personnel have been imparted the necessary training for the purpose of optimising the performance of the airport.

Making and financing

The project entailed a total investment of Vietnamese dong (VND) 7,463 billion, of which 734 billion VND was provided for in the budget of Quang Ninh province and aided compensation and site clearance. The remaining amount of 6,729 billion VND was investor capital.

The airport has been jointly constructed by the Sun Group and Quang Ninh province authorities under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. It is the first airport to operate under the BOT model in Vietnam. Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) provided assistance for the construction of the airport. The facility is fully owned by the Sun Group and the investment costs are likely to be recovered in 45 years.

The airfield lighting solutions provider for the airport is ADB Safegate. It has delivered and installed its LED airfield ground lighting at the airport for numerous applications such as runway, taxiway, approach as well as its airfield lighting control and monitoring system and power systems. These lighting solutions will assist the airport in saving costs due to their low energy consumption and long life.

Furthermore, ADB Safegate also completed testing and commissioning and provided the required support for the airport’s first calibration flight which was conducted on July 11, 2018.

The airport officially commenced operations on December 30, 2018.

Hiccups

In the year 2015, investors including the Korea Airports Corporation pulled out of the project owing to an earlier decision of the airport to focus primarily on domestic flights. This delayed the project by almost a year. Thereafter, the Sun Group entered as a new investor and the project was started again in March 2016. Later, a decision was made to make Van Don an international airport as part of the Vietnamese government’s plans to operate 13 international and 15 domestic airports by 2023. Currently, there are 21 airports in Vietnam.

The road ahead

The Van Don international Airport has added another milestone to Vietnam’s aviation sector. To promote the opening of flights to the Van Don International Airport, the provincial government has offered various incentives for airlines such as support in terms of advertising, bus services and offices. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, some foreign airlines have conducted market surveys to launch flights to Quang Ninh in 2019.

To increase passenger footfall, free visits to the Yen Tu monument complex, the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay during the first 30 days of the arrival of passengers to the airport has been made available from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021.

In this initial phase, the airport has the capacity to handle four aircraft simultaneously. This capacity is targeted to touch seven by 2030. The passenger handling capacity is also likely to be increased to 5 million per annum by 2030 with the completion of all three phases of the project. A cargo terminal is expected to be constructed by 2030 with a capacity of at least 51,000 tonnes.

The airport is located strategically and its locational advantage is likely to make the airport a tourist magnet. A further boost is provided by the fact that it is surrounded by existing and upcoming tourist attractions, and will provide a boost to the tourism sector as well. The airport is expected to open trade and development opportunities for the country and contribute to making Quang Ninh a tourism hub.

Going forward, Vietnam plans to invest at least $3 billion to build six new airports over the next five years. The government is also expected to upgrade existing airports. To finance its expansion and upgradation plans, the government hopes to attract investment from domestic as well as foreign players besides utilising funds from the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.

The airport stands as an example of bringing in private sector knowledge, funds and expertise to develop world-class facilities in the aviation sector.  The successful completion of the Van Don International Airport project provides a model that can be replicated in developing other projects and will help reduce the need for government funds, thus reducing fiscal pressure.