Officials from Myanmar and Japan have renewed talks on the Hanthawaddy International Airport planned at Bago, 80 kilometres north of Yangon. According to an article in the Myanmar Times, the officials have met at least four times to discuss the billion-dollar project. Japanese government loans will be the main source of finance. Plans for an international airport at Hanthawaddy have been discussed for years but have faced numerous delays. The plan is to construct the airport on 3,600 hectares of land. It will also connect the airport with Yangon via a railway network and an express highway. Critics of the project argue that Myanmar does not currently require a second airport. Meanwhile, Yangon International Airport is still not operating at full capacity. The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications said that surveys will be conducted after negotiations have been completed.
