Cat Bi International Airport (IATA: HPH, ICAO: VVCI) is located in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
Cat Bi International Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Northern Airports Services Company | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hai Phong & Ha Long | ||||||||||
| Location | Hai Phong, Vietnam | ||||||||||
| Operating base for | VietJet Air | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4 m / 13 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 20°49′09″N 106°43′29″E / 20.81917°N 106.72472°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  HPH/VVCI Location of airport in Vietnam | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2018) | |||||||||||
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Hai Phong Portal[2] | |||||||||||
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[3]
- 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.[4]: 83 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.[4]: 87
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]
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.[4]: 110 Cat Bi-based CAT aircraft flew a total of 682 missions in support of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu between 13 March and 6 May 1954.[6]
On 22 May 1954 the 483d Troop Carrier Wing maintenance detachment at Cat Bi relocated to Tourane Air Base.[4]: 149
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]
On 26 August 1972 during Operation Linebacker U.S. Navy jets bombed the base.[8]
In early 1973 U.S. C-130 aircraft flew into Cat Bi to deliver minesweeping equipment as part of Operation End Sweep.[9]
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.[10]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.[1]
- Ready for new international flight to Guangzhou, China at the end of Apr