Hue-Phu Bai International Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province will close to regular air services from March 20, due to the renovation of its runway. The airport will only reopened in November.
HANOI – There are certainly not good news for Hue tourism. The former imperial capital benefited greatly from the Thua Thien-Hue 2012 National Tourism Year as it welcomed a total of 12,6 million domestic and international tourists – an increase of 12% from last year.
However, Hue is likely to suffer a setback in 2013 as the airport will close to air services from March 20. The airport’s closure will last until November 20. Last year, the airport was also closed for one month from May to June for repairing the two ends of the runway to make it safer for aircraft in taking off or landing. Phu Bai international airport runway, with a length of 2,700 m, needs a major overhaul as the airport is due to welcome five million passengers by the end of the decade and accommodate up to 20 aircraft simultaneously.
Travel professionals however believe that the closure will hurt the province’s tourism sector. Local tourism travel companies will now have to use Danang International Airport. Although located only 130 km away from Hue, it will mean an additional transport time of two to three hours.
Talking to a Vietnamese online news service, Nguyen Hang Quy, director of Huong Giang International Travel Company, indicated that the eight-month closure might also affect activities of travel companies after the airport reopens: “After such a long time of non-operation, it is very difficult for travel companies to attract travellers, including foreign ones, to Hue again,” Quy explained.
Nguyen Xuan Ky, Hue chief representative of Vidotour, a Ho Chi Minh City-based tour provider, warned that the total economic damage caused by the airport’s closure may be equal to the cost of building a new runway for the airport.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
