The Central Economic Commission (CEC) of the Communist Party of Vietnam yesterday continued grilling the Ministry of Transport over Long Thanh International Project that is planned to replace overloading Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
At the rehearsal meeting, commission head Vuong Dinh Hue proposed the ministry and relevant agencies to clarify some matters related to the project such as the precision of the ministry’s data on Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Long Thanh’s competitive ability in the role of a transit airport, the impact of its construction on public debts, runway design, and site clearance and capital reclaiming measures.
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang affirmed the accuracy of the ministry’s data related to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which will go overloaded by 2017. Meantime, it is impossible to upgrade and broaden Bien Hoa military airport in Dong Nai Province to ease pressure for Tan Son Nhat because investment costs accelerate to US$5.7 billion.
Mr. Thang said that Long Thanh Airport will be built in three phases and social investment will be encouraged to reduce a financial burden of the state budget. The Government will just attend in building items forcing it to do so.
According to the Government’s latest report on the Long Thanh project, total investment fund of Long Thanh Airport is estimated at US$15.8 billion, down nearly US$3 billion compared to the number provided before. The new number is calculated basing on construction costs of similar projects which have been implemented in the world.
