New international terminal officially opens
After 18 months of construction, the Da Nang International Airport officially opened its new international terminal on Friday.
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| Passengers check-in at the Da Nang International Airport’s new terminal yesterday. (Photo: VNS) |
The project is a key part of city's preparations for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW 2017), which will take place in the city this November.
The new terminal, which covers an area of 21,000m2, with a total investment of 3.5 trillion VND (155 million USD), offers 82 counters for check-in, check-out, migration and immigration, as well as 10 boarding gates that will accommodate 6 million passengers per year, and serve 1,600 passengers in total at peak hours.
The General Director of the Da Nang International Terminal Investment and Operation, Mr Le Khac Hong, said the introduction of the new terminal would help ease the overloading that occurred at the old one.
He said that the airport is already overloaded with an estimated 6.5 million arrivals per year.
"The new terminal will have 7 more hangars bringing the total to 21, an upgraded runaway and a landing area for backed-up flights in the near future," Mr Hong said.
The city’s airport is now the 3rd largest airport in Viet Nam, after the Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi and the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. It is an important gateway to the Central Highlands and central regions.
The airport accommodates 150 flight arrivals and departures, 15,000 passengers and about 50 tonnes of cargo in total every day. An additional cargo terminal is also planned which would add 16,000 tonnes of cargo capacity.
Last week, national carrier Vietnam Airlines and budget Jetstar Pacific Airlines began using the new terminal for their international flights.
Last year, the Government allocated 400 billion VND (17.9 million USD) from the national government budget to help Da Nang’s preparations to host the AELW 2017.
Last month, the city officially started a countdown to AELW 2017.
As planned, the city will welcome heads of state and CEOs from 21 member nations during the AELW 2017 from November 5-11.
(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)