Cat Bi International Airport

History

First Indochina War

During the war Cat Bi Air Base was used by French Air Force (Armée de l'air), units based there included:

• Group de Chasse 2/22 Languedoc equipped with the F8F Bearcat
• Bomber Squadron 1/19 Gascogne equipped with the B-26 Invader
• Bomber Squadron 1/25 Tunisie equipped with the B-26

The base was also used by French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale), units based there included:

• Flotille 28F equipped with the PB4Y-2 Privateer
• the air groups of the Arromanches and Bois Belleau

On 14 November 1953 the United States Air Force 483d Troop Carrier Wing flew five C–119s from Clark Air Base to Cat Bi to qualify French Air Force crews on them. In December 1953 in order to support C–119s, the USAF deployed to Cat Bi detachments of the 483d Troop Carrier Wing, the 8081st Aerial Resupply Unit and a provisional maintenance squadron of the Far East Air Logistics Force in what was known as Operation Cat Paw which had a peak strength in April 1954 of 121 men.

On the night of 6/7 March 1954 the Viet Minh attacked the base destroying 1 B-26 and 6 Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquets.

On 9 March 1954 civilian pilots from the CIA-backed Civil Air Transport (CAT) arrived at Cat Bi to begin flying C-119s, they began flying cargo missions on 12 March.

On 22 May 1954 the 483d Troop Carrier Wing maintenance detachment at Cat Bi relocated to Tourane Air Base.

Vietnam War

During the war, the base was used by the Vietnam People's Air Force. On 9 January and 10 February 1968, United States jets attacked the base.

On 26 August 1972, during Operation Linebacker, U.S. Navy jets bombed the base.

In early 1973 U.S. C-130 aircraft flew into Cat Bi to deliver minesweeping equipment as part of Operation End Sweep.

Expansion

Vietnam has announced a new master plan to upgrade the airport with a 3,050-meter second runway, a new terminal, and a new apron by 2015. The existing runway will also be upgraded. After the expansion, the airport will be capable of serving up to 4–5 million passengers a year.

The first phase of the project was completed in May 2016, giving this airport a capacity of 2 million passengers per year. The new terminal and new runway were opened on 12 May 2016. The airport can serve the Boeing 767, Airbus A350 XWB and similar aircraft.

Technical Specifications

• Current Airport Level: Rated as a 4E airport per ICAO standards.
• Current Firefighting Level: Rated at level 6 by ICAO.
• Runway Length: 3,050 meters, equipped for night flights.
• Runway Width: Main runway is 45 meters wide.
• Taxiway Size: Main taxiway measures 2,400 x 23 meters.
• Runway Structure: Cement concrete and asphalt.
• Aircraft Stands: 10 positions for Airbus A320-321.
• Capacity: 1,000 passengers per peak hour, serving 2-4 million passengers annually.
• Passenger Terminal: 15,630m² area with two levels and 29 check-in counters (domestic: counters 1-16; international: counters 17-29).
• Boarding Gates: 6 gates (2 with jet bridges, 4 by bus).
• Baggage Carousels: 3 (2 for domestic, 1 for international).
• Aircraft Capacity: Can accommodate large aircraft like Boeing 777, 767, 787, 737-400, and Airbus models A330, A350, A320-321, among others.
• Navigation and Landing Aids: Equipped with ILS CAT II, VOR/DME systems.

Air Traffic Control Tower

Construction began on December 11, 2014, and the tower became operational on January 6, 2016. Funded by the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation with an investment of 80 billion VND, the project aimed to build a 42.9-meter-high control tower with modern, synchronized facilities. It can manage 30 takeoff and landing operations per hour, reducing cloud ceiling requirements from 180m to 80m and visibility from 2,800m to 800m, ensuring continuous flight operations at the airport.

Statistics

Airlines and destinations

| Bamboo Airways | Buon Ma Thuot, Can Tho, Con Dao, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Pleiku, Quy Nhon | Lucky Air | Lijiang | Pacific Airlines | Ho Chi Minh City | Qingdao Airlines | Chengdu–Tianfu, Nanning | Ruili Airlines | Kunming | Shenzhen Airlines | Shenzhen | Thai AirAsia | Bangkok–Don Mueang | VietJet Air | Buon Ma Thuot, Can Tho, Da Lat, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Pleiku, Quy Nhon, | Vietnam Airlines | Buon Ma Thuot, Can Tho, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc

Notes

• Cat Bi International Airport became an international airport from 00:01 of 11 May 2016.
• Ready for new international flight to Guangzhou, China at the end of April

References

References

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