New int’l airport, air route to open in central province

An international air route connecting south central Khanh Hoa Province with Russia will open later this week marking the opening of the Cam Ranh International Airport on December 12 in the coastal province.
The new international airport will be able to process 600 passengers per hour, according to a working session on December 1 between local authorities and the Nhat Minh International Tourism Company Ltd.
Nhat Minh is the representative of three Russian airlines in Vietnam, including S7 Airlines, Vladivostok Avia Airlines and the Transaero Airlines.
Located some 30 kilometers away from beach town Nha Trang, the international airport was upgraded from a civilian airport under a government’s zoning plan in 2007.
The national aviation sector has invested more than VND200 billion (US$10.8 million) in building a new terminal, air traffic control station, a modern runway lights and other facilities in the airport, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The airport is designed to receive 5.5 million passengers and 100,000 tons of cargo a year by 2020, according to The Saigon Times Daily.
Also on the opening day, a new air route between Khanh Hoa and Russia’s largest port city of Vladivostok will get underway.
“We will open the route from Russia to the Cam Ranh International Airport and are trying to have the maiden flight on the route arrive at the airport on December 12,” Le Van Nghia, chairman of Nhat Minh’s management board, told Tuoi Tre.
The mid-range TU204 aircraft which can carry 210 passengers will be used for one flight every two weeks on the route.
The two sides are also considering opening another air route to connect Khanh Hoa and Russia’s capital city of Moscow.
Vo Lam Phi, chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee, asked local hotels and guest houses to offer promotion programs and lower service prices to mark the inauguration of Cam Ranh International Airport.
A number of hotels have pledged to offer discounts of 50-70 percent on room rates for nearly 130 international tourists flying from Russia to Khanh Hoa on December 12.
SilkAir, an affiliate of Singaporean flag carrier Singapore Airlines, is also planning to arrive at the airport on its opening day.
The aircraft, carrying about 120 passengers will depart from Singapore at 7:30a.m. and arrive at Cam Ranh at 8:55a.m. on December 12.
About 1,280 kilometers south of Hanoi and 448 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa Province has a coast line of more than 385 kilometers, 100 kilometers of which are white sand beaches.
Nha Trang, the heart of the province, is a member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World.