The development of Mang Den Airport in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum requires an estimated investment of VND4.9 trillion (US$193.3 million), with most of the funding expected to come from investors through a public-private partnership, said a local transport official on Saturday.

Phan Muoi, director of the provincial Department of Transport, said that the Ministry of Transport had sent a dispatch on a consideration of building an airport in Mang Den Town, Kon Plong District to the prime minister.

Of the total investment, VND327 billion ($12.9 million) will come from the state budget to cover site clearance costs, while the remainder will be raised from private investors.

The project's investors are expected to recoup their capital within 48 years.

The airport will be situated approximately 60 kilometers from Kon Tum City and just four kilometers from the town center.

The location of the airport was carefully considered in order not to affect the operations of other nearby airports such as Pleiku in Gia Lai Province and Chu Lai in Quang Nam Province.

The airport is planned to be built on a mountainous area covering around 350 hectares and is expected to handle nearly one million passengers annually by 2030.

However, studies indicate that the province's air travel demand remains low, attributed to its sparse population and limited economic capacity.

However, the prime minister has recently passed a general plan to build a Mang Den tourist area, with a view to turning it into a national tourist site that will act as a driver of the province’s socio-economic growth.

The Mang Den tourist area, which is expected to push up air travel demand in the province, might welcome an estimated two million tourists in 2030 and five million visitors in 2045.

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