Fishing boats sit on the beach at Ngwe Saung.

SURVEY work started last month for an airport at Ngwe Saung to help tourists reach the beach resort more conveniently, said a spokesperson from the Ngwe Saung Zone Hoteliers Association.

Locals said they noticed surveyors measuring and plotting the ground for the runway starting in mid-September at a site about 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) from the beach, near the village of Thazin.

According to industry sources, the airport will be 2256 metres (7500 feet) wide and 4572 metres (15,000 feet) long, and the runway will be parallel to the coastline. The project is expected to take three years to complete.

Ngwe Saung, inaugurated as a tourist resort in 1999, is currently accessible from Yangon via a 232-kilometre, six-hour car drive. It can also be reached by taking a flight or boat to Pathein, followed by a 48-kilometre bus ride to the beach.

The spokesperson from Ngwe Saung Zone Hoteliers Association welcomed the construction of the new airport, which he said would be a boon to international travellers, local travel agents and hoteliers alike.

U Alexander, the resort manager of Bay of Bengal Resort, held a similar view.
“Of all the beaches in Myanmar, only Ngapali Beach can now be reached directly by flight. Ngwe Saung will be the second and will be able to draw more international travellers as a result,” he said.

“The airport will also help regional development and business development for all people concerned, including those in the local community,” he added.