HCM City domestic terminal open again after pre-dawn fire

HCM City (VNA) - The domestic terminal at HCM City 's Tan Son Nhat Airport opened partially on Oct. 28 after shutting down for nearly 24 hours due to a predawn blaze on Monday, according to the Southern Airport Authority (SAA).

SAA coordinated with the airport's security agency to ensure safe and secure
conditions before agreeing to re-open part of the terminal for a number of
domestic flights.

The Jestar Pacific Airlines (JPA) was allowed to use part of the domestic
terminal to service its flights late on Monday, since the volume and service
requirements of the low-cost airline were not so high, according to Tran Thi
Minh Nguyet, acting chief representative of SAA.

JPA has made six departure and six arrival flights since the accident.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines would be able to use the domestic terminal
again for its flights today, Nguyet said.

Repairs and clean up operations are being done quickly, and the terminal
will be able to open fully next week, according to Tran Thuy Minh, SAA
director.

The area destroyed by the fire, including part of the waiting lounge,
restaurant and souvenir shops nearby, will still be closed for repairs.

Around 200sq.m of the terminal burned down in the blaze, the cause of which
has not yet been announced.

Nguyet said SAA had planned to renovate the terminal to upgrade roofs and
electric wiring, but the fire had occurred suddenly.

Bao Minh Insurance Co SAA's insurer, is calculating the extent of damage
for compensation, officials said.-Enditem