Model of the expansion project

(KPL) The Embassy of Japan and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the Lao PDR made a joint announcement on Jan 31 on the Vientiane International Airport Expansion Project.

The Wattay Airport project will be undertaken with a concessional loan of approximately JPY 9 billion (almost US$80 million) and will involve an expansion of the passenger service facilities to deal with the increasing demand for air transport and to ensure passenger convenience and safety.

It is estimated that the number of passengers will increase to around 2 million by 2023.

In December 2015, a ground-breaking ceremony was held to mark the inauguration of the project and was attended by Mr Bounchan Sinthavong, the Minister of Public Works and Transport of Laos, and Mr Keiji Ishii, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan.

The project is moving forward in close collaboration with officials of the Department of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and other related counterparts, with the aim of completing the project by the beginning of 2018 with minimal impacts on passengers and the smooth continuation of airport operations. In the year since the ground-breaking ceremony, construction has progressed well.

In order to renovate the deteriorated domestic terminal constructed 50 years ago, its passenger service was relocated to a temporary terminal built in last October.  A person affiliated with the relocation said that the operation proceeded quite smoothly without any disruptions to ongoing airport activities.

As of December 2016, structures such as foundations and pillars were being constructed on the west side of the international terminal and piling work to support the building was carried out on the east side.

The west side of the terminal and its concourse are expected to open in August while the east side is expected open in December of this year.

High-quality Japanese techniques are being employed to ensure that the facility can accommodate the increasing demand for air transport, service quality is improved, countermeasures against natural disasters are implemented, and the life of the facility can be maximized through proper maintenance.

For example, a “Moving-bed Circulation System” has been adopted for the sewerage system.  It will purify the wastewater discharged from the terminal and has seven times the capability of the more common “Fixed-bed Treatment System.” 

By utilizing the limited terminal area efficiently, it is hoped that the treatment will contribute to a solution for severe wastewater issues, an increasingly serious problem due to the rapid urbanization of Vientiane Capital.

The selected high-quality equipment with was provided by a Japanese company and is expected to be the first time such an advanced treatment system has been implemented in Laos.

The “Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” was announced at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit 2016 in Japan.

The project embodies the initiative of having Vientiane International Airport as the face of Vientiane Capital.

Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Thongloun also jointly announced at the ASEAN Summit last year the “Japan–Lao PDR Joint Development Cooperation Plan” which aims to graduate the Lao PDR from Least Developed Country status.

This project is a key component of strengthening air transport connectivity, which constitutes one of the essential pillars of the plan, and is also one of the significant contributions by Japan to further socio-economic development in the Lao PDR.

KPL