A ceremony was held at the Phu Cat airport on December 29 to preliminarily review the operation of Ha Noi – Quy Nhon air route and kick off the installation of the runway lighting system at the airport.
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The ground-breaking ceremony for the runway lighting system at Phu Cat airport.
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Overly high number of passengers
The Ha Noi – Quy Nhon route was launched on January 15, 2009. This is the 29th domestic route expected to boost economic, social and cultural exchanges between Hanoi and Binh Dinh as well as provinces in the Central Highlands and south-central regions of the country.
Initially, the new service used 79-seat Fokker 70 planes to offer four flights per week and the figure is 6 flights, using A320 planes after two years of operation. The seating capacity has also increased by three times.
As for the HCM City – Quy Nhon route, the ATR 72 planes were replaced with A320 planes in June, 2009. This route now sees 11 flights per week.
About 141,000 passengers have travelled on two air routes in the first eleven months of 2010, including 44,000 for the Ha Noi – Quy Nhon air route and 96,500 for the HCM City – Quy Nhon route.
Speaking at the ceremony, provincial Chairman Le Huu Loc emphasized that Binh Dinh has attracted more and more investors in the past years thanks to its newly-built infrastructure and preferential policies. The opening of the Ha Noi – Quy Nhon route and the increase of flights for the HCM City – Quy Nhon route meet the demand for travelling, partly contributing to the province’s socio-economic development.
Capacity building
Binh Dinh’s socio-economic situation has showed signs of considerable growth in the past years. It has seen over 4,000 domestic and foreign enterprises operating, particularly after the Nhon Hoi Economic Zone was built.
Also, the province has potential for tourism, attracting many visitors; thus, the number of passengers who want to travel by air to Binh Dinh has dramatically increased.
To meet the requirements of the planes as well as passengers, many facilities were improved at the Phu Cat airport, such as air terminal, air traffic control, fire engine, and ambulances.
Alongside these, a runway lighting system was started to be built at the airport yesterday with the total capital of VND29.8 billion. The lighting system are expected to be put into operation by late 2011.
Initially, the project was approved to be implemented in 2012 and put in use in 2013. However, the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam agreed to financially assist the province in carrying out the project two years earlier.
“The early implementation of the project will help the lighting system operate soon, creating favourable conditions for the planes to land and take off safely at nighttime and during bad weather,” said Hoang Thanh, a Central Airports Corporation’s official.
The installation of the lighting system at Phu Cat airport proved the development of the air route in Binh Dinh, according to Vietnam Airlines’ (VNA) general director Pham Ngoc Minh. With such an advantageous condition, the Quy Nhon – HCM City route will see an increase of two flights per day in the future.
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