HCMC – The Ministry of Transport has written to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) urging the latter to expedite work on the Dien Bien airport expansion project in Dien Bien Province.

The units involved in the project have yet to enhance efforts to implement the airport expansion, leading to the project lagging behind schedule, said the ministry.

In specifics, the fence component is three months later than scheduled, while work on runways, aprons and taxiways is four months behind schedule.

The passenger terminal subproject and supporting components are two months later than planned, the local media reported.

As such, the ministry asked ACV to direct contractors to step up efforts and mobilize workers to speed up work on these components.

ACV was told to work with the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to determine the dates of closing and reopening the Dien Bien airport and ensure the closure is short to minimize the impact on air traffic.

The expanded Dien Bien airport project got off the ground in January last year, with a total investment of nearly VND1.5 trillion sourced from ACV.

As planned, the project’s components invested by ACV would be completed and put into operation by August this year, while other components developed by the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation would be completed by February 2024.