Cat Bi International Airport is located in Hai Phong, in Northern Vietnam, about 5 km far from the city center. This airport was constructed during French occupation period with a purpose of operating as military airport, an important airport of France in Indochina during the wartime in Vietnam. Then, after 1955, this airport was restored and upgraded. Cat Bi International Airport was officially open for civil activities in 1985. The airport has a very advantageous position for tourism as well as international trade as it is near Hai Phong Port, Do Son International tourist site, Dinh Vu Industrial Zone, Cat Ba Island, Tuan Chau Island, and Halong Bay.
In April 2011, Prime Minister approved the plan of Hai Phong International Airport with an area of about 4,500 ha. This project was conducted in communes of Vinh Quan, Tien Hung, Dong Hung, and Tay Hung in Tien Lang. On September 28, 2011, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked the ministry of Transportation, Hai Phong People’s Committee to study and propose the plan of restoring, upgrading, and expanding Hai Phong International Airport in BT model. Accordingly, this airport is on probation for Noi Bai International Airport. The plan of cultivating and upgrading Cat Bi International Airport in the planning of 2015 and in orientation of 2025 was approved to meet the demand of transport in Hai Phong and carrying passengers and cargo to this harbor city.
When talking about the Cat Bi International Airport expansion project, Mr. Vu Duy Mat, vice director of Cat Bi International Airport said that after ten months since the break ground of this project (March 19th 2013) many duties are being implemented at the same time to finish this project as soon as possible. In the last time, contractors have mobilized over 80 excavators, bulldozers, road rollers, graders, and trucks to construct and complete over 1 million cubic meter of digging background and covering with sand. In addition, they have mobilized more high technologies to increase the speed of the project.
The plan of expanding Cat Bi International Airport was formed from two sub-projects, including a project of investment construction, and a project of expansion. The plan of constructing the airport consists of building new routes of landing and takeoff with high-tech facilities to manage and monitor aircrafts. Thus, along with current landing and takeoff routes, there will have a 3,050-meter landing route no.2, an aircraft parking, and the current routes will be upgraded into parallel one. Accordingly, Cat Bi International Airport will be a 4E-level international under the standard of ICAO. This airport will have the capacity of transporting 2 million of passengers each year, equal to 800 passengers per hour in rush hours, while, the volume of transporting cargo will be 20 thousand of tones per year. The international airport might accept aircrafts of B747 with limited loading capacity, B777-300, B777-200, and A321, etc.
Located in the southeast of the city about 5 km, Cat Bi International Airport, recently, is one of important airports in Vietnam. It always reaches the growth rate of over 20 percent annually. This airport, in the future, will be an important connection between cities in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, Asia; at the same time, it will play an essential part in economic and commercial development, cooperation investment on culture and tourism of the country and Hai Phong City. Cat Bi International Airport now appeals and satisfies a large number of passengers. Apart from being a military airport, the airport plays its crucial role in strategy for ensuring the national security.