Nguyen Huu Que, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, stated on 27/3 that Phu Cat Airport's existing runway lacks the infrastructure to accommodate large aircraft from Northeast Asia. Consequently, the province proposed investing in a second runway, which began construction in 2025 and is expected to be completed by june or july. The provincial government is pushing for a june completion to support the National Tourism Year 2026.

Once operational, the second runway will allow the province to welcome large aircraft, facilitating the early launch of international charter flights to Gia Lai. Provincial leaders anticipate a significant surge in tourist numbers in 2026. Gia Lai will also host numerous events as part of the National Tourism Year 2026.

Phu Cat Airport is currently designated as a domestic airport and does not yet operate direct international routes. However, Vo Huy Cuong, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, believes that despite its domestic status, Phu Cat Airport is capable of serving international flights. He recommended that the province establish a dedicated international lane at the terminal, along with immigration, customs, and quarantine facilities. This would allow airlines to conveniently welcome international passengers.

Aircraft at Phu Cat airport, Gia Lai province. Photo: Anh Duy

Cuong also highlighted that Gia Lai benefits from two airports, Phu Cat and Pleiku, which complement each other. Should one airport experience disruptions, passengers can still access Gia Lai via the other. National Highway 19 connects these two airports, enabling tourists to explore a variety of attractions across both coastal and highland regions.

The investment project for the second runway and related synchronous works at Phu Cat totals 3,010 billion VND, overseen by the Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee. According to the master plan, the second runway will run parallel to the existing one, 215 m to the west, measuring 3,048 m long and 45 m wide. This new runway will accommodate code C aircraft, such as the A320/A321 and equivalent models, with the capability to handle Boeing 787s, 777s, and A350s if demand arises.

For the 2021-2030 period, Phu Cat Airport is planned to have an annual capacity of 5 million passengers and 12,000 tons of cargo. This phase includes the construction of a new T3 passenger terminal, designed to handle approximately 3,5 million passengers per year.

By 2050, the airport is projected to reach an annual capacity of 7 million passengers and 27,000 tons of cargo, operating with code C aircraft and similar models. This phase involves expanding the T3 passenger terminal to increase its capacity to 7 million passengers.

Anh Duy