Hanoi’s Gia Lam airport earmarked for budget carriers
Vietnam’s first airport exclusively for budget carriers will come up in Hanoi, local media said Monday.
The Vietnam Administration of Aviation has chosen Gia Lam Airport for the purpose but did not set a time frame for completion of the project.
Gia Lam, some 8 km from the Hanoi city center, is currently used for training purposes and as a helipad for tourists.
It used to be the capital’s main airport before 1970 when Noi Bai International Airport was built.
Singapore is the only Southeast Asian country so far to have an airport exclusively for no-frills carriers.
Low-cost Tiger Airways of Singapore and Thailand’s Thai AirAsia are already flying to Vietnam and planning to expand with new routes and increased frequencies.
Last week Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia also sought permission to fly to Ho Chi Minh City.
By The Vinh - Thanh Nien - March 13, 2006.
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