On December 2, the Ministry of Transport submitted a report on the "Project to study the possibility of establishing Mang Den Airport" to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval.
Adding Mang Den Airport planning to the planning will comprehensively develop the national airport and seaport system in the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.
Like some other localities, Kon Tum province also wants to build an airport and the Mang Den Airport project will create space for economic development and the Mang Den National Eco-tourism Area, contributing to the formation of urban areas, industrial parks, services, tourism...
Every province that proposes to build an airport has similar lines.
But reality is sometimes not like what we "imagine", so we need to listen to opposing opinions from many sides, to make the right and appropriate decisions. Projects must be effective, otherwise they will fall into a state of waste.
Observe Pleiku airport for further calculations. This airport does not have many passengers, because it only operates two routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with a frequency of 6 departures and 6 arrivals/day. Airlines also want to open more routes connecting other provinces and cities, but there are no passengers so they have to stop.
Only Pleiku airport is currently not operating effectively due to low passenger numbers. If another airport is built in Kon Tum, passengers will be divided between two airports, and both will have low passenger numbers.
Building airports, having planes, but who flies - that is still the question that needs to be answered, especially when many other airports in the country are still losing money because there are no passengers.
The local government has set a "vision" for 2030, with a planned capacity of 1 million passengers per year. However, planning is one thing, whether there are passengers or not is another matter that needs to be studied to have the most objective data. Many projects implemented from a "voluntaristic" mindset have paid the price.
Many people believe that if we just invest in upgrading the 100km long road connecting Pleiku and Mang Den, we will be able to exploit Pleiku airport more effectively, while also creating favorable traffic conditions for economic and tourism development in the region.
This is also an investment option that needs to be researched and compared in terms of advantages with building an airport.
