DAVAO CITY—A Department of Budget and Management (DBM) report on the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program said that before the year ends, airports that would have night-rated capabilities would be in four provinces.
These airports are in Naga City of Camarines Sur, Dipolog City of Zamboanga del Norte, Cotabato City and Cauayan City of Isabela.
These airports belong to the 22 airports that would be allowed to manage evening flights.
As of October, almost half of the country’s 42 airports have been night-rated, the DBM report said.
With night-rated capabilities, 20 existing airports would now serve night flights and give wider options for the government to decongest major airports, but mainly the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Four of these airports were earlier fitted with night flight-guiding instruments. These were the airports in Legazpi City in Albay, Roxas City of Antique, Dumaguete of Negros Occidental and Caticlan in the island resort of Boracay. Early this year, the Tuguegarao airport was also night-rated.
“Equipping airports with night-rating capabilities allows them to accommodate evening flights, thereby increasing their daily service capacity,” the DBM said.
The upgrading of airports with night-rated instruments was part of the construction, upgrading and rehabilitation of 28 airport projects that were listed in the priority agenda of the Department of Transportation.
Three international airports—Lal-Lo, Puerto Prinsesa and Mactan—and four domestic airports—Tuguegarao, Calbayog, Ozamis and Naga—have already been finished, the DBM said.