The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) held a ground-breaking ceremony on October 19 for a project expanding an aircraft apron at the Da Nang International Airport in the central city of Da Nang.

Invested by ACV, the project has a total budget of around VND420 billion and is to be completed within 11 months.

ACV said the project is necessary to meet growing demand at the airport and contribute to promoting socio-economic, tourism and investment development in Da Nang and nearby localities in the central and Central Highlands regions.

It is also hoped to contribute to implementing the recommendations of the Ministry of National Defence and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on the environmental remediation of dioxin contamination at the airport.

The Da Nang International Airport is one of Vietnam’s three largest and an important gateway for air transport in the central and Central Highlands regions. It catered to more than 98,700 flights last year with over 15.5 million passengers and more than 45,000 tonnes of cargo.

It is expected to meet the “4E” standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and be able to welcome aircraft such as the Boeing B747, B777, and B787, and Airbus A320, A321, and A350.

By 2030, it is to handle up to 28 million passengers and 200,000 tonnes of cargo each year.

ACV is currently managing, investing in, and operating 22 airports nationwide, including nine international airports. Passenger numbers and cargo stood at over 116 million and 1.5 million tonnes, respectively, last year.

The corporation is focusing on promoting its investment projects, especially key projects at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City, Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, and Phu Bai International Airport in the central city of Hue.