On May 20, Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee Pham Anh Tuan sent a document to the Ministry of Finance regarding the groundbreaking of the No. 2 runway construction project and synchronous works at Phu Cat Airport.
Phu Cat airport has an important strategic position in national defense and security in the South Central and Central Highlands regions. This is the main military base in the Fatherland Defense system, so there is regular military activity and most of the airport area is under the management of the Ministry of National Defense.
Currently, the cement concrete runway has been in operation for nearly 60 years, nearly 3 times longer than the designed life. This runway has low load-bearing capacity, many concrete slabs have cracked along the road center, with a cracking width of 0.5-2cm. Although these cracks have been paved with loose plastic, they still pose a risk of creating debris, causing unsafety in exploitation.
The repair, renovation and upgrading of runways forced the airport to be closed for a long time (no less than 6 months), reducing the combat readiness of military units. At the same time, it greatly affects tourism activities and socio-economic development of the province.
Faced with the above situation, the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction), the Ministry of National Defense and the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province have agreed to plan to add runway No. 2 to ensure safe and effective operation. At the same time, keep runway No. 1 ready to serve military units when needed. The newly built runway No. 2 will always be ready to serve military units when needed.
The Government has agreed to assign the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province as the project's investment management agency in Document No. 9651/VPCP-CN dated November 23, 2024. The project to build runway No. 2 and synchronous works at Phu Cat airport has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee for investment.
Up to now, the province has completed the feasibility study report and is submitting to the Ministry of Construction to appraise the project. Binh Dinh People's Committee is directing specialized agencies to coordinate closely with the Ministry of Construction to accelerate the evaluation progress. The project is expected to be approved on May 22 and started on August 19. Relevant procedures such as preparing construction drawings and estimates are also being actively completed by the province to ensure progress.
