Transport ministry wants several airports to be privatized

The Ministry of Transport wants private investors to build and operate proposed airports such as Sa Pa in the north and Quang Tri in the central region.

It wants two others built under public-private partnerships in Lai Chau and Cao Bang in the north.

It also said local authorities should take over the management of runways in 13 airports.

Four central airports that have military components, Tho Xuan in Thanh Hoa Province, Chu Lai in Quang Nam Province, Phu Cat in Binh Dinh Province, and Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen Province, can also involve private investors if the Ministry of Defense transfers runway management to local authorities.

Many companies have expressed interest in building and upgrading airports.

Vietjet has been eyeing Chu Lai in central Quang Nam Province, Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong City, Tuy Hoa, and Dien Bien in the namesake northwestern province.

IPP Group wants to invest in Phu Quoc and Tuy Hoa, Vingroup in Chu Lai and FLC in Dong Hoi Airport.

Vietnam began building and upgrading airports before the Covid pandemic hit since tourism was growing rapidly.

By 2025, the government plans to have the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport operational with a capacity of 25 million passengers a year.

Tan Son Nhat in HCMC and Noi Bai in Hanoi are set to be expanded to handle 50 million and 60 million passengers by 2030.

The country needs VND403.1 trillion ($17.75 billion) to build and expand airports by 2030.