ILOILO – The Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town which opened 15 years ago has reached its target passenger traffic long ago, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
To accommodate more passengers, its main passenger terminal should be expanded, said CAAP-Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor Art Parreño.
The main passenger terminal was designed to accommodate 400 to 450 passengers.
According to Parreño, the airport now caters 20 flights (both departure and arrival), and every flight has about 170 to 200 passengers.
Three departures or outgoing flights in the morning would have over 600 passengers combined, way above the current capacity of the main passenger terminal, Parreño told Panay News.
He described the expansion as “long overdue.”
Another airport area that needs expansion is the runway, said Parreño, especially now that three airlines – Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia – resumed their usual number of flights.
Parreño also said the airport should prepare for the resumption of international flights (Iloilo to Singapore and vice versa, and Iloilo to Hong Kong and vice versa).
The Iloilo Airport expansion would have a significant positive impact on Panay Island’s economy, particularly on the city and province of Iloilo, according to the CAAP-Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor.
Iloilo Airport is situated on 188 hectares of land covering barangays Tabucan, Tiring, Gaub, Duyan-Duyan, and Manguna in Cabatuan.
The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste-sorting and water-treatment facilities, a power-generating station, a cargo terminal, and a main passenger terminal.
In October, Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary Jaime Bautista announced that the Iloilo Airport is among several airports set to be upgraded, expanded and operated under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
The others are the Bacolod-Silay International Airport, Kalibo International Airport, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Laguindingan International Airport, Bicol International Airport, Puerto Princesa International Airport, Davao International Airport, and Siargao and Busuanga airports.
Bautista expects the completion of these airport projects by 2023 as part of efforts to boost travel and tourism nationwide.
For her part, PPP Center executive director Ma. Cynthia Hernandez said they are working with the DOTr on how to go about these airport PPP deals. They will study if airports will be bundled or not.
“It would really depend on… the financial feasibility and the economics of it. Also, if it would be attractive to bidders,” Hernandez said. (With a report from ABS-CBN News)/PN
