PM opens doors at Can Tho Airport on New Year’s Day

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung cut the ribbon to bring the Can Tho International Aiport into operation on the first day of the New Year.

With a 3km long, 45m wide runway, the Can Tho Airport in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta can serve both local and international flights, officials said.

The Can Tho Airport, designed to serve up to five million passengers per year, can now accommodate long-haul aircraft like the B777-300 and the B747-400.

PM Dung hailed the opening of the Can Tho International Airport as a development opportunity for the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta as a whole.

The new facility, which would helps link the Delta provinces with other cities in the country and the world, was significant for the economic development, defence, security and international integration of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta in general and Can Tho City in particular, he said.

Dung also asked authorities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta to improve infrastructure and transportation facilities to better facilitate transportation of goods from the region, which is recognised as not only the nation’s rice granary but also its main producer of vegetables, fruits and seafood.

Among the senior dignitaries attending the opening ceremony were former Party general secretary Le Kha Phieu and Deputy PM Truong Vinh Trong.

This is the fourth international airport in Viet Nam. The other international airports are Noi Bai (Ha Noi), Tan Son Nhat (HCM City) and Da Nang.

According to the Can Tho Airport authority, construction of the project to build Can Tho into an international airport began in September 2005 at a total cost of VND3 trillion (US$150 million), 50 per cent of which was raised from Viet Nam Airlines’ investment and development fund.

The first stage of the project, which will help the local airport serve 500,000 passengers per year, was completed in January 2009.

In 2010, the airport provided services to 211,000 passengers, attaining a growth rate of 39 per cent. — VNS

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