On 14 November 1953 the United States Air Force483d 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 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]
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, giving 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.
Technical Specifications
Current Airport Level: Rated as a 4E airport per ICAO standards.
Current Firefighting Level: Rated at level 6 by ICAO.
Runway Length: 3,050 meters, equipped for night flights.
Runway Width: Main runway is 45 meters wide.
Taxiway Size: Main taxiway measures 2,400 x 23 meters.
Runway Structure: Cement concrete and asphalt.
Aircraft Stands: 10 positions for Airbus A320-321.
Capacity: 1,000 passengers per peak hour, serving 2-4 million passengers annually.
Passenger Terminal: 15,630m² area with two levels and 29 check-in counters (domestic: counters 1-16; international: counters 17-29).
Boarding Gates: 6 gates (2 with jet bridges, 4 by bus).
Baggage Carousels: 3 (2 for domestic, 1 for international).
Aircraft Capacity: Can accommodate large aircraft like Boeing 777, 767, 787, 737-400, and Airbus models A330, A350, A320-321, among others.
Navigation and Landing Aids: Equipped with ILS CAT II, VOR/DME systems.
Air Traffic Control Tower
Construction began on December 11, 2014, and the tower became operational on January 6, 2016. Funded by the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation with an investment of 80 billion VND, the project aimed to build a 42.9-meter-high control tower with modern, synchronized facilities. It can manage 30 takeoff and landing operations per hour, reducing cloud ceiling requirements from 180m to 80m and visibility from 2,800m to 800m, ensuring continuous flight operations at the airport.
