According to the adjusted detail planning until 2030, Sa Pa Airport will be a domestic civilian and military airport. The construction will be built in Cam Con Commune, Bao Yen District. It will be able to serve 3 million passengers a year.
The runway will be 2,400 meters long, 45 meters wide. After 2030, the runway can be expanded to 3,050 meters. The plane parking area will have nine spots for A320, A321 planes or similar aircraft.
A six-lane road will be built to connect the Hanoi-Lao Cai Highway to the airport's parking lot.
Lao Cai People's Committee proposed to build Sa Pa Airport at the cost of VND5.9 trillion (USD254 million). It will be a public-private-partnership project. Lao Cai authorities asked the government for a VND3 trillion (USD129 million) in funding to build the airfield and the road leading to the airport. Over VND910 billion will be used for ground clearance, resettlement and mine clearance activities.
Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation will invest VND132 billion (USD5.6 million) in air traffic control facilities and VND1.7 trillion in build-operate-transfer constructions.
However, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam did not approve and suggested converting Sa Pa Airport into a complete build-operate-transfer project due to the limited state budget.
The main targeted passengers are those who fly from southern to northern area and Chinese passengers.
The project is deemed unattractive to private investors. However, there are rumors that SunGroup had expressed an interest and may invest VND1.7 trillion (USD73 million) in the project. Sun Group has already invested and completed Van Don International Airport.
