Speaking at the official opening ceremony for Phu Quoc Airport on Saturday, the Prime Minister said such policies should help develop Phu Quoc to its fullest potential and into a world-class center for integrated tourism and entertainment services.

“The Government will create all favorable conditions for fast but sustainable development of Phu Quoc to enable the island to contribute more to the region and the country,” the Prime Minister said.

Dung stressed the new airport created a very important momentum to quicken the process of developing Phu Quoc into a special administrative economic zone, but other infrastructure works were also crucial to Phu Quoc. Therefore, he insisted investment in more projects in Phu Quoc, including a power system connected to the national power grid, and road systems that link the north and the south and around the island off mainland Kien Giang.

The Prime Minister said Phu Quoc was the first international airport built by corporate investment, not by the State budget as usual, and the first new international airport since 1975 as other airports had been upgraded on existing premises. 

Phu Quoc International Airport in Duong To Town was developed by Southern Airports Corp., which is now Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). This project required at least VND3 trillion (over US$144 million).

ACV chairman Nguyen Nguyen Hung told the opening ceremony that the investment came from the corporation’s investment development fund and accumulated profits of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC over the past years. The new airport came online after four years of construction.

The airport includes a two-storey terminal with a useable space of over 24,000 square meters, a 3,000-meter-long, 45-meters-wide runway, eight taxiways, and a parking area for eight aircraft.

Hung said Phu Quoc Airport was able to handle modern aircraft, including Boeing 777-300, 747-400 and even Airbus A380-800. The airport is expected to receive 2.65 million passengers by 2020 and seven million after 2030.

Hung said in addition to domestic flights, Phu Quoc Airport is now ready for international services from Asia, Europe, Australia and elsewhere in the world.

He said the airport would apply appropriate discount fees for airlines, new routes as well as favorable visa policies.

“Phu Quoc International Airport will serve as a platform for Phu Quoc to become a special administrative economic zone and a regional hub for tourism, trade, financial and banking services, domestic and international transport,” Hung said.

Just before the official opening, Vietnam Airlines started to service the Hanoi-Phu Quoc route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays besides its daily flights from HCMC.

VietJetAir held a function at the Phu Quoc Airport on Saturday for launching its daily service between HCMC and the biggest single island of Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and other high-ranking officials joined in the event for the ninth domestic route of the low-cost airline.

Air Mekong now flies twice a day between HCMC and Phu Quoc and three times a week between Hanoi and Phu Quoc Airport, which is seven kilometers south of Duong Dong Town.