TEMPO.CO, Yangon - A Singaporean-led group has won a US$1.4 billion bid to build a second international airport in Myanmar's commercial hub, Yangon, as the nation gears up for a dramatic increase in foreign arrivals.
The winning consortium, which includes a subsidiary of Singapore's Changi Airport, will build and run Hanthawaddy International on the outskirts of Yangon by December 2019. Currently, the consortium is still in the negotiation phase with Myanmar's Civil Aviation Department to discuss the details of the cooperation.
"We intend it to become the primary gateway for transit routes and also for cargo. Hanthawaddy was at the center of the country's ambitions for a huge increase in passenger capacity as the country expects tourist numbers to continue to swell," said Win SweTun, Director-General of Myanmar's Civil Aviation Department, as reported by Channel News Asia, on Thursday, October 30, 2014.
The Hanthawaddy International Airport will be located about 80 kilometers northeast of downtown Yangon and is projected to handle around 12 million passengers a year, which is a huge leap from the 3.7 million arrivals at the existing Yangon International Airport last year.
Myanmar has seen surging visitor numbers since it began opening up to the world since the military junta ended in 2012. The country, which is hoping to reclaim its former status as a regional air hub in Southeast Asia. Yangon International Airport was considered one of the region's most modern aviation hubs for over six decades. However, they have lost their fame since the military junta took over the country.
RINDU P. HESTYA | CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
