Commercialisation of airport services must be transparent
Commercialisation of airport services must be transparent
Transparency is critical for the commercialisation of airport and seaport services, as well as the energy sector, for the benefit of the State, investors and residents, according to experts.
They were speaking at a workshop organised by Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) yesterday.
The workshop, held within the framework of restructuring for more competitiveness in Viet Nam's projects, was aimed at highlighting lessons from Australia's experiences.
Viet Nam has been considering the possibility of putting the commercialisation of transport infrastructure services under scrutiny, especially the selling of airport operation rights.
At the workshop, Warren Mundy, Commissioner of Australian Productivity Commission, shared his country's experiences in the commercialisation of airport services in Australia, which, he said, gave good results and improved issues.
He stressed that transparency in all stages in was put under the evaluation of the national audit office.
He pointed out that a total of US$5.3 billion was raised from the commercialisation of airports in Australia and investments also increased during the 2010-14 period, while service quality was maintained. Airports in Australia now have investors in pension and investment funds, apart from the presence of global companies.
However, the country also had problems to tackle and improve, such as the supervision of implementation and airlines' contract compliance.
According to Nguyen Dinh Cung, CIEM's director, the operation mechanism of the commercialisation of airport services must ensure transparency, safety, and efficiency.
The commercialisation of airport services must prevent monopoly, Cung said, adding that services costs must be decided on the basis of their supply and demand.
Experts at the workshop also expressed concerns that most airports in Viet Nam are used for both civil and military purposes and stressed that national security should be a priority issue while commercialising airport services.
Last week, the Government Office issued Document 185/TB-VPCP on the Prime Minister's opinions about raising social resources for investments in aviation infrastructures. It said employing private resources for investments in the transport sector, including airports, was in line with the Party's policies and guidelines mentioned in Resolution 13-NQ/TW.
The management and operation of airports are closely related to national security and aviation safety; hence, the construction, operation, and development of airports must be put under the unified management of the State.
The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Transport to complete a project to raise private resources for investments in aviation infrastructure and a pilot scheme for the selling of the operation rights of the international airport on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province.
The Ministry of Transport has also sought approvals to allow private players to operate Phu Quoc International Airport.
In early February, private carrier Vietjet Air submitted a proposal to the transport minister to utilise Noi Bai International Airport's Terminal 1 for 20 years. Later, Vietnam Airlines also sought to buy T1 outright.
