Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s management board recently received the go-ahead to move air force units to make room for more commercial carriers.
According to VnExpress, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved the proposal, which also details the removal of military planes from major airports in Hanoi and Da Nang, last week.
Since 1975, portions of the country’s major airports have been reserved for the Ministry of National Defense. However, growing passenger numbers have overloaded several airports, forcing municipal authorities to consider the ministry’s land.
According to the plan, Air Force Regiment 921 will leave Noi Bai International Airport for a new base in Yen Bai province, while Yen Bai’s own airport is scheduled for completion in 2018. Meanwhile, Air Force Regiment 929 will leave Da Nang International Airport for Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam province. Currently, an expansion of Chu Lai Airport is expected to be finished in 2019.
Last March, Air Force Regiment 917 vacated Tan Son Nhat for Bien Hoa Airport. However, the regiment will relocate again to Can Tho's airport.
Overcrowding is an ongoing issue throughout the country and particularly at Tan Son Nhat, which is expected to receive 31 million passengers this year. At this pace, it will receive more than twice its capacity in the next 10 years.
While the airport has experienced its fair share of problems in recent years, many hope that the proposed Long Thanh International Airport will shoulder some of Tan Son Nhat’s load when it is finished. However, work on the new airport doesn't start until 2019.
[Photo via Dicom]
