Essentially speeding up the process

On the morning of November 13, the National Assembly discussed the adjustment of the investment policy for the Long Thanh International Airport Project. Delegates highly agreed on the policy of adding an additional runway in phase 1 of the project.

Adjusting Phase 1 of Long Thanh Airport Project: Essentially Speeding Up Progress

On the morning of November 13, the National Assembly discussed the adjustment of the investment policy for the Long Thanh International Airport Project. Delegates highly agreed on the policy of adding an additional runway in phase 1 of the project.

On the morning of November 13, the National Assembly discussed the adjustment of investment policy for the Long Thanh International Airport Project.

Previously, the Government's Proposal on adjusting the investment policy of the Long Thanh International Airport Project requested the National Assembly to consider and adjust the scale and implementation time of Phase 1 of the project in the direction of: adding an additional runway (Runway No. 3) and "extending" the completion schedule to the end of 2026 instead of the end of 2025 as at present.

Speaking at the group discussion this morning, National Assembly delegates all expressed agreement with the Government's submission.

Delegate Nguyen Phuong Thuy (Hanoi) said that adjusting the project as proposed by the Government is very necessary. However, the delegate said that the project has been submitted to the National Assembly for adjustment many times (adjusted every 1-2 years), having to submit it to the National Assembly for comments many times, deciding on specific details leads to the project being extended. Therefore, when amending the Law on Public Investment, according to decentralization and delegation of authority, the Government should flexibly decide.

Delegate Huynh Thanh Chung (Binh Phuoc) also said that adding a runway in phase 1 is very necessary for socio-economic development, as well as ensuring safety and continuous operation (when this runway is maintained, another runway will be in operation). The capital plan has also been carefully calculated, not affecting the total investment.

However, delegates recommended that the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) consider reserve funds. Accordingly, the source for implementing the additional runway will be partly taken from the reserve fund, so if during the implementation of approved items, if there are changes in scale, technology, etc., there will be no reserve funds to handle.

Delegate Huynh Thanh Chung suggested that the Draft Resolution should clearly state the priority of maximizing the use of reserve funds to build additional runways, but in cases of force majeure, the government should be allowed to supplement the budget.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy.

Regarding this project, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy said that according to the design, by the time of completion, Long Thanh airport will have 4 runways, these runways are designed to ensure international standards, and can take off and land simultaneously.

Currently, at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports, there are 2 runways for take-off and landing, but they do not ensure a large enough distance, so they cannot take off and land at the same time, requiring waiting time, sometimes lasting 5-10 minutes, causing waste.

Actual inspection shows that the Long Thanh airport project phase 1 is suitable for the construction of Runway 3. If it is delayed until phase 3 as the current plan, it will affect operations, cause noise and insecurity for Runway 1 during operation. In addition, the capital source has also been carefully calculated (using savings from other bid packages and reserve sources).

"Adjusting the project may seem complicated, but in fact it is to speed up the project's progress. I hope the National Assembly will acknowledge the Government's efforts," said the Minister.

Expanding the scope of discussion related to the adjustment of the Long Thanh airport project, delegate Huynh Thanh Chung (Binh Phuoc) suggested that the Ministry of Transport and ACV need to carefully study the internal traffic planning of Long Thanh airport to ensure connection with other terminals.

“If the internal planning of Long Thanh airport does not have internal traffic routes to other terminals, passengers must check out and then move to other terminals, it will cause inconvenience to customers and make Vietnam lose its advantage. I propose that the Ministry of Transport and ACV study and add tram and bus routes connecting Long Thanh international terminal with the railway station and other terminals on the basis of security control, only then will Long Thanh airport become a passenger transit point in the region,” delegate Huynh Thanh Chung suggested.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/dieu-chinh-giai-doan-1-du-an-san-bay-long-thanh-thuc-chat-la-day-nhanh-tien-do-d229919.html