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A flight with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his wife aboard landed at the Can Tho international airport on Sunday, marking the opening of the airport and an air route linking the capital of Hanoi and the Mekong Delta city, Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported.

Leaders from a number of ministries and sectors, the Military Zone 9, and the Mekong Delta provinces and cities attended the event that was jointly held by the Southern Airports Corporation (SAC) and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Dung praised the concerted efforts of the SAC, construction units and local authorities to fulfill the project despite various difficulties. He urged the concerned establishments to promptly carry out the approved works so as to complete phase 2 of the project by 2010.

The Can Tho international airport is an important project to promote socio-economic and cultural development in the whole Mekong Delta region, the government leader stressed.

After three years of construction, the first phase sees the completion of a 2,400m-long and 45m-wide runway, capable of receiving B 777, B 747, B 737, A 321, A 320 and A 340 planes.

Initially, domestic flights to the airport will use A 321, A 320 and B 737. The domestic terminal is able to serve up to 400 passengers at peak hours and 400,000 passengers a year.

The second phase is scheduled for completion by the 4th quarter of 2010 to accommodate flights to regional countries and territories such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.