AIRPORT operator GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. is close to completing the second terminal of the air hub in Cebu, a ranking official said.
Louie B. Ferrer, the company’s president, said the group is just 4-percent shy of completing the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), targeting to officially open the facility’s second terminal by June.
“As of February, the construction of the new terminal is at 96-percent completion and we are all excited to count the days until we open Terminal 2 to the traveling public,” he said.
The Filipino-Indian joint venture started operating the airport in Mactan in November 2014, after winning the deal to modernize the existing facility while building a second terminal to support projected growth.
Terminal 2 will increase the airport’s passenger capacity to 12.5 million.
The new terminal, spanning 65,500 square meters, will not only lessen congestion, but will offer an exciting and wide-ranging retail environment. The architectural design is inspired by Cebu’s island heritage.
Ferrer said the group decided to bring in a brand-new identity for the Mactan Airport with its new tagline “Experience the Warmth of Cebu.”
Anchored on Cebu’s positioning as a resort destination and its vision of becoming the world’s friendliest airport, the airport will showcase to the world the natural gem of Cebu —and that is the warmth and genuine hospitality of its people.
The group also submitted a P208-billion unsolicited proposal for the long-term development of the airport.
Under the proposal, the company will take in the improvement, operations, and maintenance of the runway and other related facilities, which to date remain with the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority.
This was not included in the modernization contract it won in December 2013.
The proposal—submitted on June 7, 2017 to the transportation department—has three main phases, spread throughout five decades.
First is to take over the air-side facilities, and rehabilitate the existing runway and taxiways; construct an additional full length parallel taxiway that can act as an emergency runway; and develop additional rapid exit taxiways and runway holding positions, all of which will improve the efficiency of aircraft movements.
Second is to construct a second parallel and independent runway to significantly increase airside capacity.
Third is to build a third terminal in the area.
These will allow the airport to accommodate at least 50 million passengers per annum.
The rehabilitation of existing airside facilities together with the construction of a new runway will help alleviate congestion that may be experienced by a single runway facility.
Once completed, the project will make MCIA the first airport in the Philippines with two parallel independent runways.
The project calls for a necessary expansion of airport land in order to accommodate the new facilities. Hence, the group is now looking into options that will minimize the impact on surrounding communities, such as a possible reclamation in Magellan Bay.