THE Philippines will place special emphasis on further developing support for air traffic as part of the country’s National Tourism Development Plan, with the construction of new airports and renovations of existing ones on the horizon.
Department of Tourism (DoT) secretary, Ramon R Jimenez Jr, outlined the progress on the implementation of infrastructure plans at a media briefing yesterday. He said: “A lot of (tourism infrastructure in the Philippines) is still in the bidding stage, but the decision to go forward to develop infrastructure for seamless travel…(is) in the works and will be coming online sometime in 2016 or earlier.”
The Philippine government recently gave the green light for the construction of two new airports, one in Daraga, Albay, and the other in Panglao, Bohol. The latter will receive funding support from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
The Daraga airport will replace the existing Legazpi Airport, which sees up to 10 per cent flight cancellations each year due to the microclimate of nearby Mount Mayon, said outgoing transportation and communication secretary, Mar Roxas, in a separate briefing. The new Panglao airport will replace Tagbilaran Airport, where runway expansion is no longer possible.
Jimenez added that Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) remains top priority, as the DoT has combined efforts with other departments to address issues of “congestion, safety, taxes and fees”.
The completion of renovations at NAIA Terminal 3 has been delayed until the later part of 2013, after which several international carriers are expected to transfer their operations from NAIA Terminal 1.
Meanwhile, airports in Mactan, Kalibo, Iloilo, Davao and Puerto Princesa are also on the priority list for upgrades.
