Joint announcement by the Embassy of Japan and JICA in the Lao PDR on the Vientiane International Airport Expansion Project
2017/2/1
Press release
Joint announcement by the Embassy of Japan and JICA in the Lao PDR
on the Vientiane International Airport Expansion Project
31 January 2017
Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Vientiane International Airport Expansion Project (implemented by a concessional loan of approximately 9 billion Japanese yen) aims to expand passenger service facilities to deal with the increasing demand for air transportation and secure passengers’ convenience and safety in the airport; it is estimated that the number of passengers will increase to approximately 2 million people by 2023.
In December 2015, a ground-breaking ceremony attended by H. E. Bounchan Sinthavong, Minister of Public Works and Transport of the Lao PDR and H.E. Keiji Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan was held and the project construction initiated. The project team 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, aiming to complete the project by the beginning of 2018 with minimal impacts on passengers and smooth continuation of airport operations. In the one year since the ground-breaking ceremony, the construction has made good progress.
In order to renovate a deteriorated domestic terminal that was constructed 50 years ago, its passenger service has relocated to a temporary terminal built in October 2016. A person related the relocation said that an operation has proceeded quite smoothly without any disruption to ongoing airport activities.
As of December 2016, on the west side of the international terminal, structure such as foundations and pillars were being constructed; on the east side, piling work has been carried out to support the building. The west side of the terminal and its concourse are expected to open in August 2017 while the east is expected to do so in December 2017.
Japanese high-quality techniques are underlying the project as these are required to satisfy the increased annual demand for air transportation, to improve the service quality, to implement countermeasures against natural disasters, and to ensure long-life facilities through proper maintenance.
For instance, a “Moving-bed Circulation System” has been adopted for the sewerage system, which can purify 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 because of the rapid urbanization of Vientiane Capital. The selected equipment with high-quality techniques provided by a Japanese company is expected to be the first time such advanced treatment has been implemented in the Lao PDR.
The “Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” was announced at the G7 Ise-shima Summit 2016 in Japan. This project embodies the initiative in Vientiane International Airport as the face of Vientiane Capital. Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Thongloun also jointly announced the “Japan–Lao PDR Joint Development Cooperation Plan,” which aims to graduate the Lao PDR from its Least Developed Country status, at the ASEAN Summit last year. This project is a key factor in strengthening air transportation connectivity, which constitutes one of the essential pillars in the plan, and is also one of the significant Japanese contributions to achieving the further economic development of the Lao PDR.
In December 2015, a ground-breaking ceremony attended by H. E. Bounchan Sinthavong, Minister of Public Works and Transport of the Lao PDR and H.E. Keiji Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan was held and the project construction initiated. The project team 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, aiming to complete the project by the beginning of 2018 with minimal impacts on passengers and smooth continuation of airport operations. In the one year since the ground-breaking ceremony, the construction has made good progress.
In order to renovate a deteriorated domestic terminal that was constructed 50 years ago, its passenger service has relocated to a temporary terminal built in October 2016. A person related the relocation said that an operation has proceeded quite smoothly without any disruption to ongoing airport activities.
As of December 2016, on the west side of the international terminal, structure such as foundations and pillars were being constructed; on the east side, piling work has been carried out to support the building. The west side of the terminal and its concourse are expected to open in August 2017 while the east is expected to do so in December 2017.
Japanese high-quality techniques are underlying the project as these are required to satisfy the increased annual demand for air transportation, to improve the service quality, to implement countermeasures against natural disasters, and to ensure long-life facilities through proper maintenance.
For instance, a “Moving-bed Circulation System” has been adopted for the sewerage system, which can purify 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 because of the rapid urbanization of Vientiane Capital. The selected equipment with high-quality techniques provided by a Japanese company is expected to be the first time such advanced treatment has been implemented in the Lao PDR.
The “Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” was announced at the G7 Ise-shima Summit 2016 in Japan. This project embodies the initiative in Vientiane International Airport as the face of Vientiane Capital. Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Thongloun also jointly announced the “Japan–Lao PDR Joint Development Cooperation Plan,” which aims to graduate the Lao PDR from its Least Developed Country status, at the ASEAN Summit last year. This project is a key factor in strengthening air transportation connectivity, which constitutes one of the essential pillars in the plan, and is also one of the significant Japanese contributions to achieving the further economic development of the Lao PDR.