An artist’s impression of Sapa airport – Photo: LAOCAITV.VN

The province has to ensure the project’s implementation is feasible, efficient and complies with prevailing regulations, the deputy PM stressed.

Earlier, the provincial government had proposed the prime minister consider and approve a master plan for building the Sapa airport, worth VND4.2 trillion in investment under the public-private partnership format and the build-operate-transfer contract.

The Sapa airport will be developed on some 371 hectares of land in Cam Con Commune of Bao Yen District, 100 kilometers from Sapa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam.

Once completed, the project is expected to serve three million passengers per year, with one runway and a road system connecting with the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway. It will be used for both civil and military purposes.

Funding from the provincial budget would be used for site clearance, building key roads to and from the airport and constructing an air traffic control tower.

The mountainous northern province estimates operating the project for 50 years, including four years for construction and 46 years for capital recovery. SGT

Transport Ministry gives green light to build Sa Pa Airport

The Ministry of Transport has approved a plan to build an airport in Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.