The Forgotten Airport: Reviving a 74-Year-Old Gem to Welcome 2 Million Passengers Annually

Completion of Na San Airport Planning in 2025

The Ministry of Transport has issued a document to the National Assembly Delegation of Son La Province, responding to voters’ recommendations sent before the 7th session of the 15th National Assembly regarding the investment and construction of Na San Airport.

The voters of Son La Province proposed the following: “We request that you soon submit to the Politburo for consideration and approval of the ‘Proposal on Orienting the Mobilization of Socialized Capital Investment in Airport Infrastructure’, as a basis for the People’s Committee of Son La Province to update related contents into the ‘Proposal for Socialized Investment and Operation of Na San Airport’. At the same time, please direct the acceleration of the progress of the detailed planning of Na San Airport for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, as a basis for deploying procedures to attract investment in the construction of Na San Airport according to regulations.”

Regarding the voters’ proposal mentioned above, the Ministry of Transport responds as follows:

Regarding the Planning of Na San Airport: In implementing the Master Plan for the Development of the National Airport and Airfield System for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the Ministry of Transport has approved the tasks and budget estimates for the Planning of Na San Airport for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, and assigned the Vietnam Aviation Administration to make the plan for implementation in accordance with regulations, expected to be completed by 2025.

Regarding the Proposal on Orienting the Mobilization of Socialized Capital Investment, management, and exploitation of airport infrastructure: Following the direction of the Government and the Government leaders, the Ministry of Transport has recently coordinated closely with relevant ministries and sectors to review, unify, and perfect the Proposal; reported to the Prime Minister on the results of the completion of the Proposal and recommended that the competent authority consider and allow the Ministry to report to the Politburo in the third quarter of 2024.

After the Proposal is approved, the Ministry of Transport will coordinate closely with the People’s Committees of provinces and cities to build and perfect the Proposal for Socialized Investment and Operation of local airports, including Na San Airport.

The Long History of Na San Airport

Previously, the Vietnam Aviation Administration proposed to the Ministry of Transport to report to the Prime Minister on assigning Son La Province as the competent authority to implement the project of investing in the construction of Na San Airport according to the approved planning.

At the same time, it is recommended that the People’s Committee of Son La Province coordinate with the Ministry of National Defense and relevant ministries and sectors to handle defense assets on the land; and work with the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises to handle assets of ACV on airport land.

Na San Airport was built in 1950 and operated until the 1960s when it stopped operating due to a small number of passengers. In 1994, Na San Airport resumed operations. However, in 2004, the airport closed again due to the degradation of the runway, which did not meet the standards for exploitation.

Based on the planning of Na San Airport and the assigned tasks by the Ministry of Transport, in 2015, the Vietnam Aviation Administration coordinated with the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) and related units to develop an investment project for the construction of the airport area, passenger terminal, and aircraft parking area at Na San Airport, with a total investment of more than VND 1,984 billion. However, due to the inability to arrange capital, the project has not been able to proceed to the next steps.

In 2019, ACV continued to propose a project to build Na San Airport according to the planning, including a full airport area, passenger terminal, aircraft parking area, and civil aviation area, with a total cost of VND 2,268 billion. However, due to capital difficulties and objections from the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises, the project had to be halted again.

In March 2022, Son La Province sent a document to the Prime Minister regarding the investment in the construction of Na San Airport. The locality proposed that the Prime Minister approve the investment policy in the form of PPP and assign Son La Province as the competent state agency to implement the project, with a total investment of about VND 2,000 billion.

In the planning of the national airport system submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, the Ministry of Transport has oriented the inclusion of Na San Airport in the national airport network planning. Accordingly, in the period up to 2030, Na San Airport will serve A320/321 aircraft or equivalent, with a capacity of 1 million passengers per year. By orientation to 2050, the airport is expected to reach a capacity of 2 million passengers per year.

Na San Airport is located in Chiềng Mung, Mai Sơn, Son La, in the Northwest region, 187 km from Noi Bai International Airport, 110 km from Dien Bien Airport, 720 km from Da Nang, and 1,190 km from Tan Son Nhat.

Son La is a mountainous province in the Northwest of Vietnam with great potential in nature, with majestic highlands and forests; socially, it has a rich culture, imbued with the identity of the Northwest, and many advantages for tourism development. According to statistics from the General Statistics Office, among the 25 provinces and cities in the North of Vietnam, Son La has the largest area – 14,123.5 km2.

With its important position, potential, advantages, and through statistical surveys, it is forecasted that the demand for passenger transportation, especially tourist transportation by air in Son La and the surrounding areas, will increase rapidly in the coming time. Therefore, the reinvestment in Na San Airport is very necessary.