Long Thanh airport project cost reasonable: Govt

03:11, 22/11/2019

The investment of nearly US$4.8 billion in the first phase of the Long Thanh international airport project in Dong Nai Province is equivalent to the costs of similar airport projects worldwide, the Government stated in response to National Assembly (NA) deputies' protests that the cost of building the Long Thanh international airport was too high.

 

The investment of nearly US$4.8 billion in the first phase of the Long Thanh international airport project in Dong Nai Province is equivalent to the costs of similar airport projects worldwide, the Government stated in response to National Assembly (NA) deputies’ protests that the cost of building the Long Thanh international airport was too high.

An artist's impression of Long Thanh International Airport. The project's first phase will require nearly US$4.8 billion - PHOTO: TL
An artist's impression of Long Thanh International Airport. The project's first phase will require nearly US$4.8 billion - PHOTO: TL

The feasibility report for the first phase of the project has been discussed and is expected to be approved at the NA’s ongoing eighth sitting, news site VnEconomy reported.

NA deputies had asked the Government to compare the cost of the Long Thanh international airport project with that of similar airport projects around the world and to continue consulting with local and international experts on the project as the estimated number of passengers and required investment are high.

Deputy Truong Trong Nghia from HCMC noted that Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, with a capacity of 100 million passengers per year, required only US$5 billion in 2006, while Australia’s Sydney Airport, which has a capacity of 82 million passengers per year, will receive US$3.8 billion in funding over the next decade.

Deputies asked the Government to compare the cost of the Long Thanh international airport project with that of the two most modern airports in the world: the Beijing Daxing International Airport in China and the Istanbul International Airport in Turkey.

The Beijing Daxing International Airport in China covers 4,700 hectares, has seven runways and a capacity of 72 million passengers and four million tons of cargo and requires an investment of US$11.7 billion; and the Istanbul International Airport in Turkey, which has four runways and a capacity of 90 million passengers, requires an investment of US$12 billion.

The Government confirmed that the investment in the first phase of the Long Thanh international airport project includes the costs for all packages, including a passenger terminal, a runway and auxiliary facilities, which can serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo per year.

The required investment is equivalent to the costs of similar airport projects worldwide.

For example, the third phase of the Frankfurt International Airport in Germany with a capacity of 21 million passengers per year requires an investment of US$4.5 billion, or some US$5.3 billion for 25 million passengers.

Further, the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, which can annually serve 18 million passengers, requires US$4.3 billion, or US$5.9 billion for 25 million passengers.

According to the Government, when the three phases of the Long Thanh international airport project are completed, the airport will have four runways, four passenger terminals and auxiliary facilities to annually serve 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo. The total funding needed for the three phases is some US$15 billion, also equivalent to that of airports around the world.

(Source:SGT)