Quang Ninh (VNA) – Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air met withleaders of the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 15 to discuss its airservices at the newly-built Van Don International Airport in the province.

Viejet Air CEO Luu Duc Khanh gave his hosts an overview of the budgetairline, saying it has a fleet of about 60 aircraft and Quang Ninh is apromising market in its expansion plan.

Khanh hoped Vietjet Air would receive continued support from localauthorities and airport operators once the new route is launched. He also revealedthat the carrier plans to introduce various promotional deals and discounts toattract passengers to the new services, so he wants the province to provide itwith subsidised airfare and airport fees.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Long, for hispart, said after three years of construction, Van Don International Airport is scheduledto open in late December.

The province will consider offering its own incentives to airlines inthe early stages of the airport’s operation, he added.

Construction on Van DonInternational Airport started in 2015 with total investment of 7.5 trillion VND(330 million USD). Located in Doan Ket commune in Van Don district, the airportcovers 288 hectares and is the first in Vietnam to operate under thebuild-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

It will have supportfacilities and a two-module terminal. A cargo terminal is expected to be builtby 2030.

Under a March decision bythe Ministry of Transport, Van Don will be an international airport, servingboth civilian and military flights with a 3.6km-long and 45m-wide runway. Theairport will have an annual capacity of 2 – 2.5 million passengers by 2020,which will increase to five million by 2030.

The firstcalibration flight landed safely at Van Don International Airport onJuly 11.

As Van Don District isamong three special economic zones planned in the country, the airport isexpected to boost the local economy, including tourism at world-famous Ha LongBay.

The airport is locatedroughly 50km northeast of the world heritage site in Quang Ninh province.

With 60 A320 and A321 aircraft,Vietjet Air runs more than 385 flights per day and has carried more than 65million passengers on 103 routes to destinations at home and abroad. Thecarrier plans to operate more than 120,000 flights and serve some 24.1 millionpassengers by the end of 2018. — VNA