Jim Feliciano, Business Development Airports Citicore Holdings head, shows during Thursday’s briefing with the Cebu media the proposed 50-year development plan for the Mactan airport which includes a second runway that will be built on a reclaimed lot.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO
GMR MEGAWIDE’S P208B UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL
If the GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) gets the government’s approval, it will implement a 300-hectare reclamation project in Mactan Channel for the expansion of the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
The reclamation project forms a major part of the unsolicited proposal for the airport’s long-term development submitted by the consortium to the Department of Transportation last June 7, 2017. The total capital expenditure for the project will reach P208 billion.
50-year master plan
The 50-year master plan will be implemented in three phases.
If approved, the consortium plans to implement the first phase from 2018 to 2021, according to Jaime Feliciano, Business Development Head for Citicore Holdings. Citicore Holdings is an affiliate of Megawide.
Initially, the consortium will build an emergency taxiway that can also be used as a runway, Feliciano said.
This will allow the repair and rehabilitation of the existing runway and taxiways, which are in a state of disrepair.
Under the second phase, the consortium will implement the 300-hectare reclamation project. Of this area, 150 hectares will be used as the relocation site for the facilities at the Mactan Economic Zone 1 (MEZ 1) that will be affected by the airport expansion. Another 40 hectares will be allocated for airside facilities, and the remaining 110 hectares will be dedicated for the second runway.
The third phase will focus on the expansion of airport facilities, including the construction of a third terminal. The consortium also plans to build an underground people mover, possibly a light rail train, to provide easier passenger access between the terminal and the airside facilities.
Two runways
If these plans will push through, Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) will be the first airport in the country to have two independent runways, with the second one to be constructed in part on reclaimed land.
Asked about the response to the proposal, the interest was “positive,” GMR Megawide director Louie Ferrer said.
“We submitted a highly detailed proposal tailored specifically to the needs of MCIA,” Ferrer said.
He disclosed that the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) already had proposal for a second runway; but the site, located on the south side of the airport, is a thickly populated area.
The consortium then decided to look for an alternative site for the expansion.
The north-side option, Ferrer said, would only affect MEZ 1 facilities.
The consortium submitted the proposal in recognition to MCIA’s potential as a regional hub, said Ferrer.
“We have always believed in the potential of MCIA as the primary gateway to serve the Visayas and Mindanao,” he added.
Passenger traffic up
The airport’s passenger traffic has registered growth in the last two to three years since the consortium took over the management of the airport.
In 2014, the airport registered a passenger traffic of 6.5 million.
At the end of 2016, the passenger traffic has reached 8.9 million, a 12 percent increase over that of 2014 figures.
The consortium also projects passenger traffic to reach 10 million by the end of 2017.
“While this is good news for the country, especially for Cebu, we want to ensure that the airport can ably cope with this continued progress,” Ferrer said.
The concession agreement between GMCAC and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) granted full operational control on the airport terminal effective November 1, 2014.
The consortium agreed to construct a second terminal and to renovate the existing terminal.
Second terminal
The construction of the second terminal is ongoing and it will be completed by June 2018.
The airport now has 21 partner airline carriers with 18 international and 30 domestic destinations. GMCAC also implemented measures to improve the existing terminal.
However, the agreement did not include the improvement, operations and maintenance of the runway and other facilities. These remain under the MCIAA.