Dong Hoi Airport

Dong Hoi Airport
Sân bay Đồng Hới
Cảng hàng không Đồng Hới

Vietnam Airlines' Airbus A320 at Dong Hoi Airport
IATA: VDH – ICAO: VVDH
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Airports Corporation of Vietnam
Operator Airports Corporation of Vietnam
Serves Đồng Hới
Location Đồng Hới
Elevation AMSL 59 ft / 18 m
Coordinates 17°30′54″N 106°35′26″E / 17.51500°N 106.59056°E / 17.51500; 106.59056Coordinates: 17°30′54″N 106°35′26″E / 17.51500°N 106.59056°E / 17.51500; 106.59056
Website Airports Corporation of Vietnam
Map
VDH

Location of airport in Vietnam

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 7,874 2,400 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Aircraft movements not available
Total passengers 261,372 (Increase 122.1%)
Dong Hoi
Dong Hoi Airport and the nearest two airports (Vinh about 195 km (121 mi) to the north, and Hue–Phu Bai), about 172 km (107 mi) to the south away by road

Dong Hoi Airport (IATA: VDH, ICAO: VVDH) (Vietnamese: Cảng hàng không Đồng Hới or Sân bay Đồng Hới) is an airport located in Loc Ninh commune, 6 km north of Đồng Hới city, capital of Quảng Bình Province, in North Central Coast of Vietnam, about 500 km South-east of Hanoi by road. The facilities cover 173 ha, on a sandy area, by the coast of South China Sea. The runway approaches near the seashore and nearly parallel to the Highway 1A. The airport, like all civil airports in Vietnam, is owned and operated by Airports Corporation of Vietnam, a state-owned company under the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam which was founded when three companies operating airports in the north, the middle and the south of Vietnam were merged on February 28, 2012[2]

The airstrip was built unpaved by French colonists in 1930s to serve First Indochina War and was upgraded by North Vietnam as an airbase for Vietnam War. On 30 August 2004, the renovation (actually reconstruction) of this airport began and was scheduled to be completed in 2006[3] but not until May 2008 was it inaugurated. On May 18, 2008, the airport was officially put into operation with the first commercial flight from Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport.[4][5]

As of March 2015, this is one of 4 commercial airports in North Central Coast, the others are Phu Bai International Airport (90 miles (172 km, 107 mi) south of Dong Hoi Airport) in Huế) and Vinh Airport (121 miles (197 km) north of Dong Hoi Airport) in Nghệ An Province, and Tho Xuan Airport in Thanh Hóa Province.

History

Inside the terminal of Dong Hoi Airport
An ATR-72 of Vietnam Airlines is approaching Dong Hoi Airport

The site of the airport was formerly an unpaved airstrip built by the French colonists and used from 1930 to 1954 to launch air raids against Viet Minh forces in the Central of Vietnam and Laotian communist forces Pathet Lao in the Central and Southern Laos during First Indochina War.[6]

In Vietnam War, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam consolidated the runway surface of the airfield. This airstrip was used by North Vietnam as a transit point for air transport of personnel or cargo to the battlefields in the South Vietnam, especially those along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

However, during Vietnam War, this airstrip was not the base for North Vietnamese air attack on the United States battleships on South China Sea in an air raid known as Battle of Đồng Hới. The North Vietnamese fighters took off from Khe Gat Airfield near Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park instead.[7]

This airstrip was the site Ho Chi Minh landed for his North Vietnamese southernmost visit ever to Quảng Bình during Vietnam War, he landed here at 8:30 am June 16, 1957 and took off back to Hanoi at 5 pm June 17, 1957.[8] It was also the site then North Vietnamese prime minister Pham Van Dong and Cuban president Fidel Castro landed for a visit to the then newly occupied zone by North Vietnam of Quảng Trị in 1972.[9][10] General Văn Tiến Dũng landed here before entering South Vietnam for direct command of communist forces in the last period of Vietnam War renowned as Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.[9]

After the fall of Saigon, this airfield was controlled by the Vietnam People's Army but used it for military and flood rescue activities on an irregular basis, and the airfield was actually almost abandoned.[6]

In 2003, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park was listed in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list.[11] The park contains systems of grottoes and caves, of which Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 with a total length of 70 km. Besides caves and grottoes, Phong Nha has the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.[12] Moreover, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng is rich in biodiversity. At the final conference of the National Council for Cultural Heritage held in Vietnam in 2007, scientists attending the meeting highly praised the scientific documentation of Phong Nha-Ke Bang park. Accordingly, the park is second to no other national parks listed in UNESCO's world heritage sites as far as biodiversity is concerned.[13] Since Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park was listed in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, the number of tourists to this park increased significantly,[14] which required air links between this province with other major cities of Vietnam, namely Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.[6]

The construction of Dong Hoi Airport was started on August 30, 2004 and was scheduled to be completed by the last quarter of 2007.[3] The estimated cost to build the airport is $15 million which was invested by the Northern Aviation Authority of Vietnam, an entity under the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.[6][15] The construction schedule of the airport was behind the schedule due to lack of capital from the government. It was scheduled to be completed in February 2008, but there were some pending items (10% of the total work), the deadline was extended.[16] According to the next revised schedule, this airport would be completed and opened in 3rd quarter of 2008.[17] Construction of the facilities achieved completion in May 2008. The Prime Minister of Vietnam signed a decision dated May 15, 2008 to put this airport into operation on May 18, 2008. The first commercial flight originated from Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport landed at this airport on May 18, 2008, the official inaugural date of the airport.[18]

Facilities

The Air Traffic Control Tower at Dong Hoi Airport
The terminal of Dong Hoi Airport

Dong Hoi Airport covers 173 ha, has one concrete paved runway (2,400 m x 45 m), ranked 4D according to ICAO, a two-story 4282-square-meter terminal, 15,000-square-meter apron for 2 Airbus A320 and Airbus A321s or equivalent, an air traffic control tower and six check-in counters and security equipment. The airport is capable of handling medium range aircraft like Airbus A320, A321 or equivalent. Expansion plan has been approved by the government of Vietnam to make this airport capable to serve jumbo jets like Boeing 767.

This airport has a designed capability of 300 passengers/peak hour or 500,000 passengers per annum.[18][19][20] An instrument landing system was equipped in 2013. The apron was scheduled to expanded in 2014 to add 2 more parking spaces for medium range aircraft.[21] The installation of runway lighting was completed on October 16, 2014, allowing the operation 24/24.[22]

Airlines and destinations

Current destinations

The airport serves Dong Hoi city, It will serve mainly tourists to beaches in Dong Hoi city and World Natural Heritage of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, the starting point of The Middle World Heritage Road. As of December 2009, Vietnam Airlines is providing non-stop flights linking this airport with Noi Bai International Airport (Ha Noi) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City).[6][23] [24]

A Fokker 70 in Vietnam Airlines' livery in Dong Hoi Airport
AirlinesDestinations
Vietnam AirlinesHanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
Jetstar Pacific AirlinesHo Chi Minh City
Vietjet AirHo Chi Minh City[25]

Future destinations

Depending the actual demands, Vietnam Airlines will open flights linking this airport with Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong), Cam Ranh Airport (Nha Trang).[6]

Statistics

Statistics in 2009-2011[26][21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tổng công ty Cảng hàng không Việt Nam: Hội nghị tổng kết công tác năm 2015 và triển khai kế hoạch năm 2016" (in Vietnamese). ACV. 2016-01-19.
  2. ↑ Establishment of a new Airports Corporation in Vietnam
  3. 1 2 "Khởi công xây dựng sân bay Đồng Hới". Thanh Nien. 2004-08-30.
  4. ↑ "Gov't to expand Dong Hoi airport". Vietnam News. 2008-05-07.
  5. ↑ "Khai trương cảng hàng không Đồng Hới". Tuoi Tre. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Feasibility Study Report approved by the Minister of Transport of Vietnam in 2004
  7. ↑ Analysis of the Battle of Dong Hoi
  8. ↑ "CÁC ĐIỂM DI TÍCH BÁC HỒ VỀ THĂM QUẢNG BÌNH". Quảng Bình Province Government.
  9. 1 2 "Điện cho cảng Hàng không Đồng Hới". 2008-05-19.
  10. ↑ "Reflections by the Commander in Chief - THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE". Ministerio de Relaciones Exterires de la República de Cuba.
  11. ↑ "Phong Nha National Park". UNESCO.
  12. ↑ "Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, world heritage". Vietnamtourism.
  13. ↑ Phong Nha-Ke Bang again proposed for world natural heritage recognition, 17:09' 13/11/2007 (GMT+7), access date: 19 February 2008
  14. ↑ "Tourists flock to Phong Nha-Ke Bang bringing alternative to illegal loggers". Vietnam News. 2004-09-16. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  15. ↑ Quảng Bình province website
  16. ↑ T, T (2007-10-21). "Sân bay Đồng Hới sẽ được đưa vào khai thác trong dịp Tết Nguyên đán 2008". Ministry of Transport (Vietnam). Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  17. ↑ Chau, Thanh (January 16, 2008). "Cần đẩy nhanh tiến độ xây dựng sân bay Ðồng Hới". Ministry of Construction (Vietnam). Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  18. 1 2 "Quảng Bình: Mở cảng hàng không Đồng Hới (Quảng Bình: Opening of Dong Hoi Airport)". Lao Động (issue no. 109). 16 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  19. ↑ "Dong Hoi airport put into use". CPV. 2008-05-19.
  20. ↑ "Dong Hoi airport put into use". Vietnam News. 2008-05-19.
  21. 1 2 3 Airports Corporation of Vietnam Official Website
  22. 1 2 "Dong Hoi Airport ensures the operation in all weather conditions from October 2014 after the lighting system has been installed" (in Vietnamese). Airports Corporation of Vietnam. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  23. ↑ Official website of Vietnam Airlines
  24. ↑ "Quang Binh province urged to fully tap its advantages". VietnamNet. 2009-04-26. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  25. ↑ "Enjoy flying on Vietjet's newest domestic routes for free!". Vietjet Air. 2015-02-02.
  26. 1 2 "Cảng hàng không Đồng Hới: Năm 2011 ước đạt 70.000 lượt khách (Dong Hoi Airport will handle estimated more than 70,000 passengers)". quangbinhonline. 2011-10-12.
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