Festive colors appear in the new uniform of Mactan-Cebu airport terminal managers modeled in last night’s brand launch party. The future design of the passenger terminal features arched ceilings. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
When private managers take over the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on November 1, changes will be as visible as the crisp, new uniforms of staff and as ambitious as the promise of making it the “friendliest gateway” in the country, and even the world.
Officials of GMR-Megawide said Cebu will be the first airport in the Philippines to have electronic passport gates for Filipino citizens to ensure swift entry.
Instead of dealing with immigration staff behind counters, Filipinos only have to flash their passports in automated gates and walk through.
The system will be installed by the second week of January in time for the Sinulog festival, when visitor traffic is at its peak.
“It will only take about 18 seconds to go through the immigration area,” said Andrew Harrison, chief executive advisor of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. during last night’s launch of the airport’s new corporate brand.
The gates will use a computerized passport reader and facial recognition technology to check a passenger’s identity against the data stored in the chip in the biometric passport.
“One of the things we did was to sit down with immigration officials for us to set up brand new passport readers and automated gates for Filipino citizens. They simply have their passports scanned, take a step back for image verification and the gates open and off you go. They don’t have to talk to an immigration official,” said Harrison.
RESORT APPEAL
The Mactan airport, under new management, is supposed to develop the ambience of a “resort” with world-class efficiency, while building on Cebu’s reputation as a top tourist attraction with its airport as the “friendliest gateway” to other destinations.
The bold promise of its new operator is for passengers and other stakeholders to see “improved service” in the existing terminal T1 upon GMR-Megawide’s takeover of airport operations on November 1.
Construction of a second terminal, T2, begins in January 2015 and will be completed in three years.
“My objective,” said Harrison, “is to turn the Ninoy Aquino International Airport into a domestic airport, and have all international flights come to Cebu.”
When he drops this line with a smile in conversations, he adds, that he’s “not joking”.
The upgrade of the Mactan airport as a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) project of the Aquino administration was sealed with the winning bid of P14.4 billion by the consortium in November last year.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. is 60 percent owned by Philippine-listed construction company Megawide Construction Corp. and 40 percent by Bengaluru-based Indian company, GMR Infrastructure Ltd.
IMMEDIATE UPGRADE
Harrison said that once they take over on November 1, they will immediately improve the “passenger experience” by solving the long queues, revitalizing retail shops , and putting in brand-new seats in the terminal.
“Facilities will be upgraded including the restrooms, an airport village with an extensive retail and entertainment options, six contact gates, triple-level in-line baggage screening, four baggage carousels and 14 escalators.”
“We also plan to have space inside where one can wait for their arriving loved ones or visitors. Today they are outside and we think that they should be seated comfortably inside the terminal,” he said.
“The improvements in Terminal 1 will be done over the next two years. Once the Terminal 2 is completed, we shall transfer international traffic to Terminal 2 to make way for more improvements in Terminal 1,” said Harrison.
SINULOG COLORS
The brand image of the airport takes off from the warm Sinulog festival colors of yellow, red and orange.
A hospitable welcome is a Cebuano quality the new airport is building its image on as well.
Harrison said a Gallup international survey actually established that Filipinos have the “warmest, most genuine smile” in the world.
Company president Manuel Luis Ferrer, in his remarks, said their new logo symbolizes many things that is Cebu.
The logo shows a flower-like design with each petal actually inspired by the shape of the “banka” or paddleboat. The elliptical shape will be repeated in the arches designed in the new terminal.
The tagline “Start here” refers to the airport as a gateway to positive experiences “where your vacation begins, and everything else starts.”
Ferrer said it evokes “exciting beginnings, happy vacations, fun adventures and memorable experiences for the travelers.”
A new website www.mactancebuairport.com was also launched.
The head for marketing and branding Sanjay Jayanth said the site will have flight schedules and information about Cebu, including a an active calendar of themes and activities like the Sinulog, and directions on how to get to different places.
The responsive design of the website allows passengers to access the same information on any digital device – mobile phones, laptops, tablets and personal computers.
“We are also on the different social media like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Foursquare,” said Jayanth.’
At right, Louie Ferrer, president of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza and Andrew Harrison, chief executive advisor ofthe corporation, discuss the future of the airport, which will be under new management on November 1. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
EMPLOYEES
Hiring of new employees continues.
“We currently have 219 people and eventually we’ll have a total of 264. They all undergo customer service training,” said Harrison.
Knowing that Philippine culture is centered on family and religion, he said they have designed incentives for staff that recognize these values.
For example, when a staff members gets married “we give them cash assistance to help out in their wedding,” said Harrison.
New uniforms for staff from the maintenance crew to corporate office personnel were designed by Cebuano couturier Cary Santiago.
The uniforms, in shades of gray and maroon,were shown in a mini-fashion show at the launch party last night in the MIP lounge of the Mactan airport.
Female wear showed Filipiniana accents like terno sleeves and included, for the terminal manager, a colorful, tall Sinulog headress with feathers./With Eileen G. Mangubat
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