VietNamNet Bridge – The fees of airport services will be lowered in the coming time to attract airlines to five smaller international airports in the country, an official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said here on Tuesday.

Delegates at the flight promotion conference held in HCMC on Tuesday.

At a conference promoting flight operation to Phu Bai, Cam Ranh, Lien Khuong, Can Tho and Phu Quoc international ports held on Tuesday, deputy director of the authority Vo Huy Cuong said that incentive policies for airlines flying to Vietnam were being carried out. The authority will not restrict flight frequency of airlines opening services to these airports, he said.

Regarding incentive fees, airlines opening flights to the five airports will enjoy a 50% discount on the fee for aircraft landing and taking off as well as security check. The discount may be applicable up to three years.

Another incentive is that the opening of air routes to airports in Vietnam, excluding Noi Bai, Danang and Tan Son Nhat, is not limited.

In addition to incentives offered by CAAV, provinces and cities where the five airports are located have also pledged to support airlines such as free accommodation for delegates of airlines when they come to study the opening of flights.

Responding to the question why airlines do not want to fly to these airports, director of the authority Lai Xuan Thanh pointed to the low quality services there, but said that the problem would be fixed in the coming time.

According to Thanh, the first to be improved is airport services, followed by tourism services. If the quality of both is good, the number of people flying to and from the five airports may increase.

Among these airports, Cam Ranh is the only airport to have regular international flights to and from Russia and some charter flights from South Korea. Meanwhile, Can Tho Airport has had only some charter flights from Taiwan at certain points of time, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Phu Bai, Lien Khuong and Phu Quoc airports have yet to welcome any international flight.

Although the number of international flights to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province is not high, the province is concerned over the airport’s capacity which is designed to serve 1.5 million passengers per year in 2015. Such a capacity may not be sufficient as the number of passengers at the airport is estimated to hit 1.5 million this year.

Therefore, according to Khanh Hoa Province, careful considerations should be made before upgrading Cam Ranh Airport.

According to the authority, Vietnam currently has 21 airports and there are 51 international airlines and two domestic ones operating on 54 international routes. Regarding the domestic market, Vietnamese airlines are operating 40 air routes.

Last year, Vietnamese airports handled 37.5 million passengers and 650,000 tons of cargo.

Source: SGT