NA gives nod to Long Thanh International Airport project

A resolution on the Long Thanh International Airport project was passed at the ongoing ninth session of the 13th National Assembly on the morning of June 25 with 428 deputies - 86.64% of the total number of NA deputies - voting in favour.

NA deputies vote on the Long Thanh International Airport project. (Credit: VNA)

The issue has become the focus of public attention since the project was established. It was initially commented on by the NA at the previous session running from October 20 to November 28, 2014.

NA agencies organised a working team to survey the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Bien Hoa Air Base and the site planned for the Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.

The team also collected ideas from consultation agencies and experts on the issue to report to the NA.

According to the resolution, the NA approved the building of the Long Thanh airport as an important international airport for the country, with the first-phase goal of reducing the overload at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, moving towards becoming one of the leading international aviation transit centres in the region.

The NA requested specific implementation measures on the project, assigning the government to acquire land (5,000 hectares) for the whole project at one time; work out measures to effectively manage and use the project’s unused land; and focus on stabilising the lives of people in the affected area through compensations, job creation and resettlement support.

The government needs to work out plans to build infrastructure and auxiliary items serving the realisation of the project, while synchronously developing the transport system connecting to the Long Thanh International Airport, the resolution said.

The NA also insisted on ensuring progress and socio-economic efficiency during the project’s implementation; assessing impacts on the environment and designing environmental protection solutions; mobilising and balancing the investment capital in line with the law; and avoiding negative effects on public debt.

The project will be built at total costs of VND336.763 trillion (US$16.036 billion) and is aimed at reaching an annual capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of goods.

The project will be developed in three phases. The first phase, scheduled to be completed by 2025, will see VND114.569 trillion (US$5.456 billion) invested in building one runway, one passenger terminal and other auxiliary facilities with a capacity of 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The second phase will see the completion of the second runway and another passenger terminal to meet the capacity of 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo a year. The airport’s capacity will reach 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo a year in the third phase.

On the same morning, the NA also passed the Law on Sea and Island Natural Resources and Environment with 91.5% of deputies in favour and the revised State Budget Law with 89.47%.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)