SECONDARY airports around the Philippines are up for upgrade, as the transportation department stepped up its push to modernize the country’s aviation hubs.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya reported on Monday that the P3.36-billion contract to construct the New Bohol Airport in Panglao has been awarded to the Japanese joint venture of Chiyoda Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp.
“Another world-class airport will soon rise on the island of Panglao, to cater to the steadily increasing number of tourists in Bohol. It will be developed as an ‘eco-airport,’ or one that features environmentally sustainable technologies, in line with the province’s ecotourism branding,” he said.
Construction is set to begin before the end of summer and is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2017. It is designed to accommodate 1 million passengers annually.
“In a country filled with tourist hot spots on islands separated by seas, it is vital to develop and modernize our airports not only to better service our passengers, but to also enable economic growth for our people,” the Cabinet official added.
The chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) also reported that the Kalibo International Airport has started the commercial operations of its new passenger terminal building, which was officially opened on March 26.
“We’re happy to open Kalibo International Airport’s new wing right as we enter the summer season. As always, we expect a high volume of visitors to Boracay in the next couple of months, so the new section will help meet this peak-period demand,” Abaya said.
The nearly 4,000-square-meter expansion, which comes at a price tag of P44.3 million, enables the airport to accommodate an additional 800 passengers at any given time.
All domestic flights will be transferred to the new wing of the terminal, while international flights will remain in the original portion of the passenger terminal building.
The Cabinet official also announced the start of regular night flight operations at the gateway to Northern Mindanao.
“Another piece of good news is that regular evening flights to and from Laguindingan Airport started last night, March 29. This boosts accessibility for the residents of Cagayan de Oro and neighboring areas, as well as for visitors to the region,” Abaya said.
After being fully equipped for night landing last October, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines gave airlines the option to schedule their night flights at the airport.
Evening flights formally opened on March 12, when Cebu Pacific operated round trips from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu and Davao. It will now offer regular night trips to and from Manila.
An “enhanced operations and maintenance contract”—which will require the eventual concessionaire to construct a terminal expansion, as well as operate and maintain the airport—is currently being auctioned off by the department along with the Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo and New Bohol Airports. The total price for the contracts—which will be bundled—is at P108.9 billion.