General Director of Airports Corporation of Vietnam, Mr. Lê Mạnh Hùng, said: Phú Bài International Airport was built by the French in the 1940s. During 1972-1973, Phú Bài Airport was upgraded to serve the operations of fighter aircraft and military transport aircraft. After liberation, during 1994-1997, this runway was upgraded and extended by 1000m to reach a size of 2700m x 40m, capable of accommodating medium-range aircraft such as the B737-400, A320-100, and TU134. The passenger terminal was upgraded in 2004 to serve civil aviation operations.
In recent years, passenger throughput at Phu Bai International Airport has grown at a fairly strong and stable rate. In 2012, it reached 673 thousand passengers, with Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet operating flight routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Hue and vice versa. On average, more than 2,000 passengers pass through the Phu Bai International Airport terminal every day; the airport handles eight takeoffs and landings per day with A321 and A320 aircraft; and cargo/parcel volume is about five tons per day.
However, after a long period of operation, the infrastructure of Phu Bai International Airport gradually deteriorated, with the asphalt concrete runway showing extensive damage that threatened flight safety. From May-June 2011, the airport had to close for localized repairs to severely damaged sections of the runway. This was only a stopgap, temporary fix to keep it operational for a short time. The passenger terminal, after many renovations, had become old and degraded, with water leakage in many areas, outdated interiors, deteriorated restrooms, and technical systems that no longer met aviation safety requirements. In particular, the poorly arranged departure and arrival processes led to artificial congestion during peak hours. If the runway were not repaired, Phu Bai International Airport would have had to close in 2014.
Based on the above, Vietnam Airports Corporation urgently implemented the runway and passenger terminal repair project at Phu Bai International Airport with a total investment of nearly VND 700 billion, drawn from the Corporation's development investment fund. After surveying and research, the design consultant proposed a runway rehabilitation solution using cold in-place pavement recycling technology with foamed bitumen and cement, using German equipment and technology. This is the optimal solution for the shortest airport closure time and the smallest total investment. After repair and expansion, the Phu Bai International Airport runway surface was widened from 40m to 45m, with dimensions of 2700x45m, meeting ICAO Code 4D airport standards. This runway is capable of accommodating medium-range aircraft such as the A321 (186 seats) at 100% load, facilitating future upgrade and renovation as operational demand increases.
In addition, after renovation, the terminal has a total area of 6,500 m2, a service capacity of 1.5 million passengers/year, and is capable of serving 800 passengers and three A321 aircraft per peak hour. The renovation included reorganizing the terminal's layout and operating procedures, re-roofing the terminal, renewing the interior, and overhauling the entire aviation technical equipment system serving passengers. The parking lot was also renovated, accommodating 160 parking spaces of various types over an area of 21,000 m2. As a result, the airport closure time was shortened from the originally planned 8 months to 6 months before resuming operations.
At the completion ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc emphasized: “We now have a good airport, but we must find ways to attract more and more passengers in order to increase investment efficiency. This cannot be achieved by the aviation industry alone; it requires local authorities to continue promoting investment, calling on more investors to come to Huế, and building service and entertainment areas… striving to make Thừa Thiên - Huế a class-I urban area and the center of the North Central region.”
After completing the airport's upgrade and repair work, at 7:10 AM on September 20, flight VN1370 of Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Bai was the first flight to be safely served at the international airport, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Hue Ancient Capital Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Currently, Phu Bai International Airport serves an average of more than 2,000 passengers per day, handling eight takeoffs and landings per day with A321 and A320 aircraft; cargo and parcel volume is about 5 tons per day.
On this occasion, the new-generation airline VietJetAir presented a gift of one year of free flights on all VietJetAir routes, including international routes, together with a “3 Millionth Customer” certification trophy to Mr. Duong Chau Toan.
According to Nhan Dan Newspaper.
The Phu Bai Airport project has used the product UPS RIELLO 60kVA for the airport's electrical system supplied by LISATECH.
