Construction of airport to begin in early 2014
Construction work for the new Hantharwady International Airport in Bago Region will start early next year, as Myanmar gears up to receive growing numbers of visitors.
Yangon International Airport, currently the country’s main entry point 80 kilometres away, handles 20 million passengers a year and will be upgraded to receive another 6 million. Major extensions, however, are restricted due to a surrounding military airbase and residential areas.
A consortium led by South Korea’s Incheon Airport Corporation has been awarded the US$1.1-billion tender to build Hantharwady International Airport, with final details of the contract yet to be worked out.
“We have discussed the contract for the second time. The third and final meeting will be held in early November and the contract will be signed by that time,” said Tin Naing Tun, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). “The construction work will be start in early 2014.”
As Myanmar braces for record numbers of visitors for the upcoming the Southeast Asian Games in December and the tourist season, Yangon Airport will remain the first port of call. The airport received over 450,000 visitors between January and September this year.
