French consultant proposes Tan Son Nhat Airport expansion ADPi Engineering, a French company which specialises in airport architecture and engineering, has proposed an expansion plan for Tan Son Nhat International Airport at a meeting chaired by Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The. The meeting which was held on February 27 attracted representatives from the ministries of National Defence, Natural Resources and Environment and Planning and Investment.   ADPi Engineering's proposal for Tan Son Nhat International Airport's expansion plan The said that the expansion of Tan Son Nhat Airport had drawn different opinions from ministries and agencies, so the ministry had selected ADPi Engineering as an independent consultant to develop an objective view on the issue. This is the final meeting about the airport’s expansion plan before the ministry submits the proposal to the government. The French consultant said it was necessary to develop infrastructure at the airport to meet the demand of serving around 301,000 flights with a total number of 51 million passengers and 960,000 tonnes of cargo by 2025. The figure would reach 315,000 flights with 55 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo by 2030. Meanwhile, the current infrastructure can meet 36 million passengers per year. The firm recommended the necessity to restrict the airport’s maximum capacity at around 50 million passengers by 2025 to avoid the construction of the third runway which would be costly and cause environmental problems as well as noise pollution. The consultant also suggested using the golf course which is located in the north of the airport to build hangars, cargo terminal and maintenance and repair areas. Meanwhile, more passenger terminals should be built in the south of the airport to easily connect with the existing terminals. Dr. Duong Nhu Hung from HCM City University of Technology disagreed with the French consultant’s proposal, saying that the restriction of the airport capacity to 50 million passengers is inappropriate in the context of the increasing demand of passengers. Meanwhile, Cao Xuan Toi from Aviation Technology Association said that the French consultant’s suggestion was feasible, as by 2025, Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai would have been put into operation, which would help to partially ease congestion for Tan Son Nhat Airport. Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said that it was impossible to raise Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s passenger capacity to 70 million as it would lead to serious environmental pollution. However, it was essential for the consultant to specify what the impact would be of raising passenger numbers to 70-100 million. The consultant also needs to analyse more clearly the impact of building terminals in the north or the south of the airport. The noted that the Ministry of Transport will inform the government of the Tan Son Nhat Airport’s expansion plant this week. TienPhong