Proposing a new position for Gia Binh Airport

Gia Binh Airport not only serves training flights, combat readiness for the People's Public Security Air Force, and serves special flights, but can also be supplemented with many civil aviation exploitation functions.

Will exploit dual use

Exactly 20 days after Gia Binh - Bac Ninh Airport started construction (December 10, 2024) as a specialized airport for the police force, the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province issued Official Dispatch No. 569/UBND-XDCB on supplementing the planning of Gia Binh Airport.

Accordingly, the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province proposed that the head of the Government consider approving the update and addition of Gia Binh Airport to the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050. The People's Committee of Bac Ninh province also proposed that the competent authority assign this locality to coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to implement project investment procedures in accordance with the law.

According to the proposal, Gia Binh Airport has a scale and level of a level 4E airport; the planned capacity is expected to transport 1 - 3 million passengers/year (with a reserve for expansion to meet the capacity of about 5 million passengers/year); transport from 250,000 to 1 million tons of cargo/year (with a reserve for expansion to meet the capacity of 1.5 to 2 million tons of cargo/year).

The People's Committee of Bac Ninh province proposed to plan additional airport area projects based on the utilization of infrastructure built by the Ministry of Public Security; plan additional aircraft parking lots to serve passenger and cargo transportation; plan passenger terminals, cargo terminals, logistics areas and build synchronous technical infrastructure.

Previously, in September 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Decision No. 98/QD-TTg dated September 17, 2024 approving the investment policy of the Gia Binh Airport Construction Project. The Decision clearly stated that in Phase I, the Project aims to build a multi-purpose, dual-use airport with specialized airport functions equivalent to level 4E, with a 1,500 m runway and a land use scale of about 125 hectares in Xuan Lai commune and Gia Binh town, Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh province.

This airport will serve the training and combat readiness missions of the People's Public Security Air Force, reserve for flight operations of the Air Defense - Air Force Service (Ministry of National Defense), reserve for airports and airfields in the region in case of emergency; orient to ensure the operation of special flights serving Party and State leaders, international politicians on large fixed-wing aircraft; and transport goods and passengers when required and qualified.

According to Mr. Vuong Quoc Tuan, Chairman of Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee, recently, the locality has coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to carry out site clearance for phase I of the Gia Binh Airport Construction Project and has completed the handover of land to the Ministry of Public Security to carry out airport construction.

“Based on the need for air cargo transportation to promote commercial production, e-commerce and develop logistics centers of the province, taking advantage of the airport infrastructure being invested in and built, the formation of Gia Binh Airport to serve passenger and cargo transportation, ensuring both security and defense, and ensuring local socio-economic development is necessary,” said Mr. Vuong Quoc Tuan.

It is known that the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province is coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security to immediately implement research on investment in the construction of Gia Binh airport phase II to reach level 4E airport, ensuring the operation of special flights serving Party and State leaders, international politicians on A320, A350-900, B787-9 aircraft; transporting goods and passengers when needed.

“The People's Committee of Bac Ninh province has been proactively deploying resources and conditions to organize the implementation of site clearance for the entire airport when the investment policy for phase II construction is approved by the Prime Minister,” Official Dispatch No. 569/UBND-XDCB stated.

Will call for private capital

The main parameters as well as the plan to upgrade Gia Binh Airport are more clearly shown in the Project to Study the possibility of forming Gia Binh Airport, which has just been sent by the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province to seek opinions from relevant ministries and branches.

The most important highlight in the Project prepared by the Aviation Construction Design and Consulting Company Limited (ADCC) is that the consulting unit proposed that the Prime Minister assign the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province to call for investment in the civil aviation area (aircraft parking lot and passenger terminal, cargo terminal, logistics area...) or assign the Ministry of Public Security to establish a port enterprise to invest in and exploit civil aviation at Gia Binh Airport.

According to the proposal, Gia Binh Airport in the planning phase will have a construction area within the boundary of 363.5 hectares, an increase of about 250 hectares compared to the scale of phase I being implemented by the Ministry of Public Security.

The operating model of Gia Binh Airport is to serve the tasks of the Police Air Force Regiment, ensuring national security (Police) combined with socio-economic development, similar to the model of Phan Thiet Airport, which is an airport serving national defense and security activities combined with socio-economic development.

In addition to military aviation activities, Gia Binh Airport, if permitted by competent authorities, will operate domestic flights on the North-South axis, connecting major economic, political and cultural centers of the country such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh, Phu Cat, Lien Khuong, Can Tho; direct charter flights to airports around the world and vice versa.

For international cargo flights, Gia Binh Airport will operate direct flights to airports in countries around the world where Vietnam has opened commercial flights.

Based on the planned planning of Gia Binh Airport, the consulting unit proposed that the Gia Binh Airport Construction Investment Project will be divided into 2 phases (phase I - by 2030, ensuring the exploitation of 1 million passengers/year and 250 tons; phase II - by 2050, the exploitation of 3 million passengers/year and 1 million tons of cargo).

In phase I, ADCC proposed to invest in a runway system measuring 3,500x45 m; taxiways, aircraft parking lots of the Police Air Force Regiment, barracks, special aircraft terminal, special aircraft parking lots, off-site technical garage; works to ensure flight operations...

To exploit civil aviation, also in phase I, the Project also builds a passenger terminal to meet the exploitation of 1 million passengers/year, a cargo terminal to meet the exploitation of 250,000 tons of cargo/year; air traffic control tower; civil aviation aircraft parking lot; state agency works at the airport; traffic infrastructure, parking lots, technical infrastructure of civil aviation area to meet the exploitation.

With the above investment scale, the total investment of Gia Binh Airport Construction Investment Project until 2030 is 17,159 billion VND; Phase II - completing all functional areas of the Project is estimated at 14,150.68 billion VND.

It is expected that state budget capital will be mobilized to build shared facilities (runways, taxiways, air traffic control towers), parking lots and VIP terminals, parking lots and barracks; socialized capital or capital from other legal sources according to current law will be used to build civil aviation facilities including civil aviation parking lots, civil aviation terminals, and access traffic systems.

According to ADCC's proposal, the Project is expected to carry out investment preparation work in 2025; complete construction of the project, put into use/operation 24 months after the policy is approved.

Previously, in Notice No. 562/TB-VPCP, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned the Ministry of Public Security, in parallel with organizing the implementation of phase I, to urgently complete the documents and investment procedures for phase II of the Project for early implementation, ensuring synchronization, and construction into a multi-purpose airport with specialized functions equivalent to level 4E.

The Ministry of Transport is assigned to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province to urgently research and complete the documents and investment procedures for phase II of the Project; research and implement traffic route options connecting Gia Binh airport with Hanoi capital to ensure the fastest, most beautiful, most modern and most effective for long-term goals.

“This route must ensure the shortest, most modern, and most beautiful (80 to 100 m wide), opening up new development space to promote socio-economic development in the area, according to the principle that the road in which province or city is located, that province or city will be assigned to carry out the investment,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed.

Decision No. 648/QD-TTg dated June 7, 2023 of the Prime Minister approving the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, stipulates research, survey, and assessment of the possibility of successful airport planning for a number of airports serving national defense and security; a number of important locations for emergency and relief, with potential for tourism and service development, and other locations where airports can be built and exploited; reporting to the Prime Minister for consideration and supplementation of the planning when conditions are met.

In particular, Gia Binh airport (a specialized airport serving security and defense) is one of 12 potential airports that can be planned to become a dual-use airport, including civil aviation.

Decision No. 648/QD-TTg also assigned the People's Committees of the provinces to organize the preparation of airport planning projects, including a thorough assessment of the needs, conditions, and possibilities of airport formation as well as related impacts, mobilizing maximum non-budgetary capital for investment under the PPP method, sending them to the Ministry of Transport for consideration, reporting to the Prime Minister to decide on supplementing the planning and implementing construction investment when conditions are met.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/de-xuat-vi-the-moi-cho-cang-hang-khong-gia-binh-d239728.html