Proposed location for Mang Den airport (small photo) and Mang Den town in Kon Plong district (Kon Tum province) – Photo: TAN LUC
As reported by Tuoi Tre , the Ministry of Transport has submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration the addition of Mang Den airport to the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.
"Researched and evaluated many stages"
According to the Kon Tum Provincial Department of Transport, the airport planning has been consulted and approved by eight ministries and three neighboring localities. Factors related to aviation engineering, hydrometeorology, etc. have all been studied and calculated to ensure safety. The project has been assessed through many stages and by many specialized agencies.
Mr. Phan Muoi, Director of the Department of Transport of Kon Tum province, affirmed that the construction of the airport is in harmony with the development of Kon Plong urban area combined with aviation needs, helping to increase aviation and tourism growth, and form new urban areas.
“Businesses understand the tastes and tourism needs of domestic and foreign tourists to develop effective investment plans. Kon Tum’s potential is that Kon Plong region still has many primary forests. Investors have analyzed and evaluated investment in parallel with forest preservation and tourism development under the forest canopy,” Mr. Muoi shared.
Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee said the Prime Minister has approved the master plan for the construction of Mang Den tourist area with the goal of developing it into a national tourist area. The number of tourists to Mang Den is forecast to reach about 2 million by 2030 and 5 million by 2045.
A leader of the Mang Den Tourism Association also said that he was looking forward to and supported the early implementation of this project to promote the development of the local tourism industry. According to the association, in the past, tourists from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City who wanted to go to Mang Den had to fly to Pleiku and drive about 100km.
“Although the distance is not too long, due to the steep winding mountain pass and the large difference in altitude, many tourists are tired and exhausted when they reach their destination. If there is an airport right in Mang Den, it will increase the attractiveness to tourists, and at the same time, attract capital flows to invest in economic development, tourism and services in Mang Den,” he said.
Still controversial
However, many opinions expressed concerns that investing in an airport in Mang Den will affect the environment and landscape of the area. According to some experts, it is necessary to keep the Mang Den forest intact to develop sustainable, environmentally friendly tourism.
“Mang Den is a small town with a low population, so investing in an airport could lead to waste and inefficiency,” an expert warned.
Many Tuoi Tre readers also believe that instead of investing in more airports, this resource can be used to upgrade National Highway 14 and National Highway 24 from Pleiku City to Mang Den to expressway standards to effectively exploit Pleiku Airport. In fact, the distance from Pleiku City to Mang Den is only 100km with a travel time of two hours.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan – Chairman of Kon Tum Provincial People’s Committee – said that the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Mang Den airport project must be considered in the context of the overall Mang Den national tourist area. In which, the airport is the driving force for the development of the national tourist area and the development of the tourist area will attract tourists to Mang Den.
“If the airport is separated from the tourist complex for investment consideration, it will not be effective and the State will not invest,” said Mr. Tuan, affirming that the professional agencies and consultants have surveyed and researched carefully when choosing the location so as not to affect the landscape, environment and natural forest area in Mang Den.
This project is expected to be invested under a public-private partnership plan, in which the provincial budget will only spend a very small part on site clearance. According to Mr. Tuan, the locality and investors have also studied the plan to utilize Pleiku airport but it is not feasible. The investor aims to develop high-quality tourism, welcoming high-end resort guests.
“Therefore, traveling a distance of 100km on a steep mountain pass will affect the tourist experience and reduce the attractiveness of the destination,” Mr. Tuan affirmed.
Airport planning on production forest land
According to the research project just submitted to the Prime Minister by the Ministry of Transport, the airport is expected to be located in Mang Den town, Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province, located entirely on a mountainous area with an area of about 350 hectares.
Investment in Mang Den airport requires about 4,900 billion VND, mainly mobilized from investors through the public-private partnership method.
According to research, the area planned for this airport is currently a production forest area and has no residential area, managed by Kon Plong Forestry Company.
Pleiku airport is only 100km from Mang Den
Pleiku Airport is 100km from Mang Den, with a designed capacity of about 600,000 passengers/year, mainly operating two routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with a frequency of 6 departures and 6 arrivals/day.
According to the representative of this airport, except for some times when the economy is booming, the number of passengers served reaches over 1 million passengers/year, the number of passengers passing through this airport is only around 600,000 passengers/year. Previously, airlines tried to open more routes Pleiku - Da Nang, Vinh, Hai Phong... but only for a while then stopped because the number of passengers traveling was not high.
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