Phu Quoc International Airport. (Photo: Zing)

Phu Quoc International Airport in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang will be invested to be able to serve 10 million passengers a year.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV), currently there are six domestic and 10 foreign airlines operating regular flights to/from Phu Quoc airport. Its passenger throughput reached 3.7 million in 2019, but down to 3.23 million in 2020 and about 1.6 million in 2021 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan signed a document sent to the CAAV requesting to consider land and propose investment forms to expand the airport.

Accordingly, the Ministry asked the CAAV to actively coordinate with relevant agencies and units, including the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) and the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV), to seek appreciate types of investment.

The Ministry’s requirements came after the Prime Minister’s working session with provincial leaders, during which he directed the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and the People's Committee of Kien Giang in studying suitable investment types to expand Phu Quoc airport, with a goal of increasing its total capacity to 10 million passengers a year by 2030 so as to meet the locality’s socio-economic development requirement.

Regarding investors interested in the project, recently the Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) proposed the Transport Ministry allow it to participate in the Phu Quoc International Airport expansion project.

IPPG wants to invest in the airport’s international terminal, cargo terminal, warehouse, and runway.