(News Portal – Dong Nai) - The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has agreed to assign the Provincial People's Committee as the state authority responsible for implementing the Bien Hoa Airport project through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
MoT assigns the provincial People's Committee as the state authority to implement the Bien Hoa Airport project
In accordance with general policy
In accordance with the overall plan for the development of the national airport system from 2021 to 2030, with a vision to 2050, Bien Hoa Airport is designated as a dual-use domestic airport.
Mr. Nguyen Bon, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, said that once operating in dual-use mode, Bien Hoa Airport will have a capacity to serve 5 million passengers per year during the period 2021-2030.
In October 2023, the Provincial People's Committee sent a document to the Prime Minister regarding assigning the provincial People's Committee as the state authority responsible for implementing the Bien Hoa Airport project. In early February, the MoT received a letter from the Government Office conveying the guidance of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on the implementation of the Bien Hoa Airport project.
Most recently, on February 20, the MoT sent a document to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha regarding assigning the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee as the competent authority to implement the Bien Hoa Airport project.
The document from the MoT, signed by Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan, states that according to the regulations of the Investment Law regarding assigning the competent authority to implement the project through the PPP model, the authority to decide on the investment policy and assign the competent authority for investment and operation of new airports lies with the Prime Minister.
According to the MoT, the Party's general direction in infrastructure development is to promote decentralization, delegation of authority, and maximize the mobilization of investment resources, diversifying forms of mobilization and utilization of resources, especially non-state investment resources.
o concretize the Party's direction and overcome obstacles in mobilizing non-state investment resources, the MoT is finalizing a plan to mobilize social capital for airport infrastructure construction to report to the competent level. This plan proposes the direction of mobilizing investment capital for the Bien Hoa Airport project through the PPP model and recommends some related policy mechanisms regarding land, state assets, etc. as the basis for implementation.
At the same time, Resolution No. 154/NQ-CP (dated November 23, 2022) issued by the Government on the Action Program of the Government to implement Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW (dated October 7, 2022) by the Politburo assigned the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee as the leading agency to implement the upgrade of Bien Hoa Airport to a dual-use Class 4E airport.
The overall plan for the development of the national airport system from 2021 to 2030, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister, has also assigned the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities with new airport plans (including Bien Hoa Airport, Thanh Son) to review and report to the Prime Minister as the competent authority for airport investment without the PPP model; to implement the investment when ensuring efficiency, safety, and conducting a comprehensive assessment of related impacts. "Therefore, the MoT believes that the proposal of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to be assigned as the state authority responsible for implementing the Bien Hoa Airport project is consistent with the government's general direction," the document from the MoT states.
Recommendation for ministries and sectors to support the local government
In recent times, some localities have reported and been assigned by the Prime Minister as the competent authorities to implement new airport projects through the PPP model, including Van Don, Quang Tri, and Sa Pa.
According to the Ministry of Transport's assessment, these projects play a crucial role in regional and international connectivity. Among them, Van Don Airport has been operational since 2018 and has made positive contributions to the local and national socio-economic development. Quang Tri Airport has an investor and is currently being implemented. Sa Pa Airport project is in the process of selecting an investor. The implementation of these mentioned projects has seen initial successes in applying the decentralization and delegation policy, as well as mobilizing non-state investment capital for airport infrastructure.
Based on this, the Ministry of Transport has agreed to assign the Provincial People's Committee of Dong Nai as the competent state authority responsible for implementing the Bien Hoa Airport project.
Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Transport, since the project will utilize the land and infrastructure of the military airport managed by the Ministry of Defense, the dual-use plan for Bien Hoa Airport requires the consensus of the Ministry of Defense.
Therefore, the Ministry of Transport recommends that the Prime Minister direct the Ministry of Defense and relevant ministries and sectors such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to support and coordinate with the Provincial People's Committee of Dong Nai in the implementation process.