Cat Bi International Airport
Cat Bi International Airport Cảng hàng không quốc tế Cát Bi | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | Northern Airports Services Company | ||||||||||
Location | Hai Phong, Vietnam | ||||||||||
Hub for | VietJet Air | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 4 m / 13 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 20°49′09″N 106°43′29″E / 20.81917°N 106.72472°ECoordinates: 20°49′09″N 106°43′29″E / 20.81917°N 106.72472°E | ||||||||||
Website |
catbiinternational | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
HPH Location of airport in Vietnam | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2016) | |||||||||||
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CAAV[1] |
Cat Bi International Airport (IATA: HPH, ICAO: VVCI) (Vietnamese: Cảng hàng không quốc tế Cát Bi[2] a.k.a. Vietnamese: Sân bay Quốc tế Cát Bi) is an international airport located in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
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[3]
- 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[4]
- the air groups of the carriers Arromanches and Bois Belleau
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.[5]
During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the base was used by the CIA-backed Civil Air Transport to fly cargo missions to the besieged French base. Cat Bi-based CAT aircraft flew a total of 682 missions to Điện Biên Phủ between 13 March and 6 May 1954.[6]
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.[7]
In early 1973 US C-130 aircraft flew into Cat Bi to deliver minesweeping equipment as part of Operation End Sweep.[8]
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.[9] The first phase of the project was completed in May 2016, enabling 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.
Airlines and destinations
See also
Notes
- Cat Bi International Airport became international airport from 00:01 of 11 May 2016.[2]
- Ready for new international flight to Guangzhou,China at the end of Apr
References
- ↑ "Khởi công dự án "Xây dựng nhà ga hành khách – Cảng HKQT Cát Bi"". Airports Corporation of Vietnam. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Cảng hàng không Cát Bi là cảng hàng không quốc tế". CAAV. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ Tran, Hoi (2011). A Vietnamese Fighter Pilot in an American War. Xlibris. p. 54. ISBN 9781456847241.
- ↑ Windrow, Martin (2011). The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam. Hachette. p. 181. ISBN 9781780222479.
- ↑ Morgan, Ted (2010). Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War. Random House. p. 252-3. ISBN 9781588369802.
- ↑ "A Look Back ... Earthquake McGoon's Final Flight". Central Intelligence Agency. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ↑ "Air base near Haiphong hit by U.S. jets". Chicago Tribune. 10 February 1968.
- ↑ "By Sea, Air, and Land Chapter 4: Winding Down the War, 1968 - 1973". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ↑ Vietnam releases master plan for Haiphong Airport
- 1 2 3 "Vietjet Air Adds New Domestic Routes from May 2016". airlineroute. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ↑ "Vietjet Air adds Haiphong International flights from Dec 2016". routesonline. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/10/29/vn-cxrhph-w15/
External links
- Airport information for VVCI at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
- French military images of Cat Bi supporting the Battle of Dien Bien Phu