President Benigno Aquino III led the ground breaking of the administration’s first airport public-private partnership project, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which will be transformed into the world’s first “resort” airport with triple its current capacity.
Winning the auction for the 25-year PPP contract in 2014, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) will construct a new international passenger terminal building and renovate and convert the existing terminal building into a domestic facility.
The new terminal is expected to be completed by 2018, while the existing terminal by 2019. A bridge will connect the two terminals.
The project will increase the airport’s annual capacity from 4.5 million to 12.5 million, expandable to 16 million, said Louie Ferrer, president, GMCAC.
He added that by 2018, the airport will have a total of 13 aircraft parking stands with aerobridges, 18 aircraft parking stands served by bus transfers, and 104 check-in counters for domestic and international flights.
Before inaugurating the construction project in Cebu, President Aquino also visited Palawan to inspect the progress of the improvement works of Puerto Princesa Airport.
When finished by January 2017, the airport will have an increased annual capacity of 2 million from 350,000.