Mactan-Cebu airport to set aside P300-M for expansion
By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 14:16:00 08/20/2008
CEBU CITY, Philippines - About P300 million will be spent for the terminal expansion program of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to address the increasing volume of passenger traffic.
In Tuesday’s 888 News Forum at the Waterfront Hotel, MCIAA general manager Danilo Augusto Francia said the program also includes the establishment of a second passenger terminal in the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
The expansion program is expected to start this year and be completed within one year, Francia added.
Francia said the existing terminal has a total capacity of 4.5 million passengers during peak hours or the time when flights depart and arrive at the same time.
Included in the expansion are waiting lounges, an additional four boarding bridges and two passageways leading to the bridges.
The MCIAA will also consider installing an automatic baggage system costing P200 million, while clearing out airport space and integrating retail stores into a bigger store.
Board advertisements will be converted to digital signages, Francia said.
They will clear out unnecessary spaces and offices in X-ray and terminal areas.
The MCIAA general manager said the expansion will enable the airport’s facilities to conform to international standards for passenger and baggage accommodations.
“We are good for three years in the existing terminal. With the renovation and expansion, we can accommodate another 600,000 travelers in the next three years again,” Francia said.
The terminal accommodated around three million domestic travelers and 900,000 international tourists, or more than 80 percent of total airport space use.
The MCIAA collected P563 million in gross revenue as of July 2008. Last year, the MCIAA collected P997 million.
Francia said the international terminal fee at the MCIA is still at P550, which is lower than the P700 fee in the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
He said they will “slowly raise the fee if we can see improvements in the airport.”
Earlier, Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano pushed the MCIA expansion to avoid congestion in check-in counters.
Durano said industry standards require that airport use should not go over 85 percent.
Durano said previous studies show that the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is already 75 percent utilized, with passenger traffic growing more than 10 percent per year.
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