VietNamNet Bridge – The Khanh Hoa provincial people’s committee has sent a document to the Ministry of National Defense, requesting the ministry to show its opinion about the plan to develop the Cam Ranh airport with the participation of the US based ADC-HAS Airports.

The document has been sent after the provincial authorities had working sessions with ADC-HAS on the implementation of the project on building and exploitation of the Cam Ranh international airport.

Prior to that, the US group also sent its staff to the site to learn more about the infrastructure conditions of the Da Nang and Chu Lai airports in the central region-- in its plan to upgrade the airports in the region to form up a chain of airports to develop tourism.

The Cam Ranh international airport covers an area of 750 hectares. It has seen high growth rates in the number of passengers since June 2008. However, to date, no international airline has opened direct routes to Cam Ranh.

In 2011, the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities sent a document to the Ministry of Transport, requesting the ministry to suggest to the government a plan on building new runways.

According to Deputy Chair of Khanh Hoa provincial people’s committee Tran Son Hai, the current material facilities of the Cam Ranh airport are not good enough to satisfy the travel demand, especially on rush days, when the city organizes important events or festivals.

Therefore, Hai said, the province really wants to find out a big, experienced and financially powerful investor, who is ready to cooperate with Khanh Hoa to build and operate the Cam Ranh international airport.

In early 2012, with the introduction of the Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston (Texas, the US), ADC_HAS group sent its representatives to Vietnam, who had working sessions with the leaders of the Ministry of Transport and the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee. They also conducted surveys and analyses, and considered the local conditions for an investment cooperation plan.

On April 16, 2012, the Ministry of Transport released a document, allowing ADC-HAS to draw up the project on the Cam Ranh airport development.

A lot of US investors have shown their interests in the plan to develop a chain of the airports in the central region.

In 2010, ADC-HAS once sent its staff to Chu Lai airport to survey the area and discuss the cooperation with the two provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.

In 2011, high ranking executives of ADC-HAS and Cedona, the two biggest airport developers and operators in the US, also made fact-finding trips to Vietnam, where they had meetings with the leaders of the Da Nang City on the plan to upgrade the Da Nang airport.

According to Jeff Scheferman, President and CEO of ADC-HAS, the big airports in the central Vietnam have very important strategic positions. The region is located in the middle, between the two biggest economic centers of Hanoi and HCM City. The central region faces the East Sea on one side and the central South East Asian countries on the other side.

ADC-HAS has suggested a plan on developing Chu Lai airport into an industrial airport that serves the cargo carrying on domestic and international routes.

As for the two other reports – Da Nang and Cam Ranh, together with the development of infrastructure works there, ADC-HAS would join forces with the Vietnam Airlines Corporation to push up the tourism development, promote the opening of the direct Vietnam-US flights, which all would help create a big tourism market for Vietnam.

Source: Lao dong