VietNamNet Bridge – The Long Thanh International Airport, once it is built, would help solve the problems which Tan Son Nhat airport cannot--Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang said before the electorate.

Voters protest new airport and want golf course axed

Electorate raises voice against Long Thanh airport project

Thang does not think that it is too early to build a new international airport because it is still unclear about the economic efficiency, and that it would be better to enlarge the existing airports as suggested by the electorate.

He said the Tan Son Nhat, Bien Hoa, Can Tho, Phu Quoc and Cam Ranh airports cannot be expanded to satisfy the increasingly high travel demand, affirming that the development of Long Thanh airport is the best solution.

Under the air transport development program approved by the Prime Minister, the Long Thanh International Airport would be one of the 10 international airports in Vietnam by 2020.

It would be further expanded by 2030 to replace the Tan Son Nhat airport as the most important airport in the southern region. It is hoped to be the biggest port in the country which serves 80-100 million passengers a year.

Replying to the proposal on stopping the construction of a golf course within the Tan Son Nhat airport area because of the fear for the environment pollution, Thang affirmed that the golf course and Tan Son Nhat airport service center projects have followed all necessary procedures relating to the environment protection.

Though the Ministry of Transport proves to be steadfast with its viewpoint about the necessity to develop the Long Thanh Airport, economists and people still voice their concern about the project.

Trong Nhan, a reader, wrote that the National Assembly should listen to the public opinions and not to waste money on the airport to put a heavy burden on the next generations.

Another reader has suggested setting up a scientific council for discussing the feasibility of the project.

“I hope the Ministry of Transport opens the project for public opinions and consults with scientists, both domestic and foreign, about the development of Long Thanh airport,” he wrote. “A thorough scientific study would help avoid unnecessary investments.”

Citing the cases of the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A, Minh Anh, a reader from Hanoi said all the investors believe it is necessary to develop the projects. However, the scientists have proved the opposite thing.

“It is not urgent to build Long Thanh airport now. We should think of the project only when Tan Son Nhat gets really overloaded,” Minh Anh said.

He believes that one cannot say Tan Son Nhat airport has become overloaded, if compared with other international airports, where aircraft land in or take off every 8-10 seconds.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh from the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program said the project is surely financially inefficient, or unfeasible, because the income sources of the airport would not be high enough to cover the expenses, including the initial investments and the airport operation expenses.

The unfeasibility of the project is foreseeable, which explains why no investor has spent money to develop the project under the mode of BOT (build, operation, transfer) as initially planned.

Thanh also affirmed that the growth rate of passengers at Tan Son Nhat airport is not high. According to the HCM City Statistics Office, in 1996-2000, the number of passengers increased by 6.8 percent per annum.

The figure was higher in 2001-2010, at 10.8 percent per annum, but then decreased to 4.9 percent per annum in 2011 and 2012.

K. Chi