The Hanthawaddy International Airport will go ahead as a national project within the current term of government, Myanmar Vice President U Henry Van Thio has pledged to the committee charged with the airport’s construction.
Once completed, it will become a major gateway for international airlines, U Henry Van Thio, the chairman, told the committee in Naypyitaw.
The international airport will be situated in central Bago Region, 80km northeast of Yangon. It will be Myanmar’s fourth international airport and its largest.
All international airlines will be moved to the new Hanthawaddy International Airport from the current Yangon International Airport by the time it comes
into service in 2020.
The project was born out of a private-public partnership (PPP) tendered in 2012 which was won by a consortium of Yongnam and Changi Airport Planners and Engineering
(CAPE) from Singapore and Japan’s JGC Corporation in 2014.
The airport, located on a site of more than 3,645 hectares of land, will help support increasing num The airport, located on a site of more than 3,645 hectares of land, will help support increasing numbers of business travelers and tourists as the country experiences growth in trade and tourism, said officials.
It is hoped the development will increase commercial and industrial activities throughout Bago Region and beyond and raise local residents’ standard of living through new jobs throughout construction and after completion.
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism predicted Myanmar would receive 6 million international visitors in 2016 and the ministry plans for 7.5 million visitors in 2020.
Once operational, the airport is projected to handle up to 12 million passengers a year and will become a major international gateway into Myanmar and a regional aviation hub.
Source: Myanmar Business Today
