HANOI: Following the recent unexpected increase in arrivals, Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) has begun expansion of the Phú Quốc International Airport (PQC), hoping to accommodate five million visitors annually.
“At this point, Phú Quốc International Airport is in need of development. The forecast of 2020 shows that the number of visitors to the airport could be some 2.5-3 million, so a comprehensive extension is necessary,” Huỳnh Quang Hưng, Vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Phú Quốc District, said. PQC initiated its second phase in April 2015, with total investment of more than VNĐ2 trillion (US$89.4) for all categories, including runway, hangar, passenger terminal and outdoor parking.
On average, the airport daily serves 42 flight both arrivals and departures. In the last nine months, it served 1.6 million visitors to Phú Quốc, an increase of 47.18 per cent compared with the same period last year. Hưng also noted that the total land area provided to the airport by the district to date and in use since 2002 was 905ha, helping the airport to increase the annual number of visitors to the airport.
Presently, PQC has finished some 35 per cent of total construction. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017. The number of visitors to Phú Quốc through the four main domestic routes from Hà Nội, HCM City, Hải Phòng and Cần Thơ, together with international direct routes from countries such as Russia, Sweden or China is increasing significantly due to a larger number of flights available to the area.
