Pleiku airport closes

GIA LAI  Pleiku Airport will be closed from mid-March until late October to allow construction of a longer runway and the addition of parking areas to accommodate larger aircraft.
Local media reported the airport will be closed from 15 March to 25 October.
The current runway will be extended from 1.8 km to 2.4 km to allow it to accommodate the Boeing 737, or Airbus 320, the two most popular planes in Asia for regional and domestic services.
The airport director, Nguyen Trong Hai, was quoted as saying the project will cost nearly USD44.65 million, to be funded by the state, Airports Corporation of Vietnam and Gia Lai’s provincial budget.
inside no 8During the closure travel agents in Gia Lai will sell tickets for flights departing from Buon Ma Thuot Airport in the neighboring province of Dak Lak, which is 220 km away, or a three and a half hours drive by car.
Pleiku Airport and the Gia Lai’s transport department will offer transport for passengers who want to transfer from Pleiku to Buon Ma Thuot.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is the only carrier to offer services to and from Pleiku Airport. The carrier has two flights to Hanoi, one to Danang, and five to Ho Chi Minh City on a daily basis.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia