Phù Cát Airport: Upcoming Transformations on the Horizon

The Ministry of Construction has recently approved the adjustment plan for the Phu Cat Airport Master Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050. This move aims to meet the growing demands of air transport and align with the reorganization of the economic and administrative space in the region.

According to the decision, the adjustment focuses on the civil aviation area in the East, while also incorporating the planning of the civil aviation area in the West of Phu Cat Airport, along with related zones.

The adjustment is designed to ensure the airport meets air transport needs, facilitates the shared use of infrastructure between civil and military aviation, and minimizes impacts on military operations and structures at the airport.

The primary goal of this adjustment is to reorganize the development space of Phu Cat Airport to align with air transport demands, local socio-economic development requirements, and higher-level planning directives. Based on this, the plan will propose a feasible investment roadmap to ensure long-term operational efficiency and safety.

The adjustment plans will be developed in accordance with the approved Master Plan for the Development of the National Airport System for the period 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050.

The Ministry of Construction has tasked the Vietnam Aviation Administration (VAA) with finalizing the adjustment plan by 2026, based on the appraisal results. The VAA is also responsible for close coordination with sponsors and relevant agencies during the planning, supervision, and completion of the dossier.

In a recent proposal to the Ministry of Construction, the VAA emphasized that adjusting the master plan of Phu Cat Airport is crucial for addressing existing issues and accelerating investment, upgrading, and expansion of the airport in the coming years. The People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province is currently implementing a project to construct the second runway and related airside facilities with a total investment of over VND 3,200 billion.

Previously, under Decision No. 1686/QĐ-BGTVT approved by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) on December 22, 2023, Phu Cat Airport aims to handle 5 million passengers annually by 2030 and 7 million by 2050.

Recently, the VAA proposed to the Ministry of Construction that by 2030, Vietnam will have 33 airports with a capacity of 297 million passengers annually. By 2050, this number is expected to increase to 36 airports, serving nearly 540 million passengers per year. Correspondingly, the total land area allocated for airports will expand to over 26,600 hectares by 2030 and approximately 27,800 hectares by 2050.