Vietnam Airlines to invest $430 mln to offer ground services at Long Thanh airport

Vietnam Airlines plans to invest VND9.9 trillion ($430 million) in the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport to become a provider of ground services and in-flight meals.

It plans to provide aircraft maintenance services, supply jet fuel and meals, serve passengers in lounges, and set up duty-free shops, the carrier said in a proposal to authorities.

These are services the state-owned carrier already provides at major airports in the country.

It will bring in 30 percent of the amount from its own resources and borrow the rest.

Its subsidiaries can either set up facilities at the airport or joint ventures with the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which oversees the construction and would operate the airport, the proposal said.

It hopes to get a dedicated area at the airport to build hangars for aircraft maintenance and in the terminal to prioritize its customers.

Construction of the first of three phases of Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai, 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, began in January.

The $4.6-billion first phase of the airport is set to be completed by 2025 when it will be able to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo a year.

The final phase will be completed by 2040, when the airport will have four runways and four passenger terminals. It will have a capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo.