VietNamNet Bridge – The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has come up with an idea of moving overnight aircraft parking from overcrowded Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC to the Can Tho airport in the Mekong Delta city of the same name.

Aircraft of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air are seen at Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has come up with an idea of moving overnight aircraft parking from overcrowded Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC to Can Tho airport – Photo: Anh Quan

CAAV has requested local carriers Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Co. (VASCO) to weigh parking their jetliners overnight at Can Tho to help cope with the lack of parking space at Tan Son Nhat.

CAAV said a rapid pickup in flights to HCMC and a strong expansion of aircraft fleets have piled enormous pressure on Tan Son Nhat airport.

As of November 2016, the Vietnamese airlines had had 147 aircraft, up 14 compared to last year. They are expected to have five more jets in end-2016.

Tan Son Nhat currently has 57 slots for aircraft to land. The airport added four parking slots for ATR-72 aircraft in January 2016. Its expanded apron was put into operation in September this year and part of the 21-hectare apron for military aircraft is used for civil purposes.  Despite these efforts, the needs for parking planes overnight at the airport cannot be met.

Thus, CAAV has asked Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and VASCO to mull landing their aircraft overnight at Can Tho airport to reduce the pressure on Tan Son Nhat. They should send their proposals to CAAV by January 30.

In a draft strategy for development of air transportation in 2016-2020 sent to the Ministry of Transport, CAAV said key airports in Vietnam such as Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Cam Ranh, Danang and Cat Bi would only provide 259 slots for overnight parking.

With international airlines taken into account, the remaining parking slots for domestic carriers would number 230. 

SGT