Work on new Mactan terminal starts June; PAF base operations to move to MIP Lounge

The Philippine Air Force base terminal will be moved to the MIP at the Mactan Cebu International airport to pave the way for the construction of the new airport terminal.
(CDN File)

GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) will finally start construction of a new Mactan Cebu International Airport terminal next month, an official said.

This will reduce construction delay to five or six months instead of 10 months. Target completion date has been moved to July or August 2018 from the original target of February 2018.

GMCAC senior chief advisor Andrew Acquaah Harrison said an agreement has been reached with  the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to gradually transfer base terminal operations to the MIP (Most Important Person) Lounge.

This will clear the area currently occupied by the PAF base terminal and allow GMCAC to start construction of Terminal 2 (T2). The new terminal will increase the airport’s passenger carrying capacity to 12.5 million a year from the current 4.5 million.

“The building where PAF does most of their operational functions sits right at the middle of where the new terminal is set to be constructed so we can never start construction unless that building is vacated,” Harrison said during the 888 News Forum yesterday.

Harrison said they recognize the critical role that PAF plays in providing national security and the Mactan air base being the center of recovery and rescue efforts during calamities.

But under its 25-year concession contract to manage and upgrade the Mactan airport terminal, GMCAC was supposed to have started construction of T2 in January this year and complete this in February 2018.

The Air Force, however, had refused to clear the project site unless the affected structures are replicated in another part of the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base. Replication of the PAF structures will take 300 days, hence the initial 10-month delay.

“They have already started construction works for about three months now and as soon as the facilities are in place, PAF will slowly be relocating to the new site,” said Harrison.

In the meantime, Harrison said they are continuing improvements in the old terminal to achieve a more efficient flow, despite the overcapacity, while waiting for the new terminal to be operational. The old terminal was designed for 4.5 million, but currently serves more than seven million passengers.

Harrison said they will transfer the taxi stand to the arrival area near the security office.

“The location also makes it more convenient for arriving guests as they no longer have to go up to the departure area where the old taxi stand used to be located,” he said.

He added that they will soon adopt an automatic ticketing system. As soon as the taxi enters the area, the system will capture the plate number and generate a ticket that the drivers will then give to their passenger.

“That way we will not need manual noting of the plate number by a person and allow faster and more efficient flow,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said they have not been approached regarding the establishment of an electric train system that will also potentially serve the airport.

If it happens, Harrison said they will need to design a scheme that will allow the etrain to load and unload passengers in an area very near the terminals for convenience.

“That needs to be planned well because we have to be ready with the provisions for the etrain,” he said.

The Mactan airport upgrading project, estimated to cost P17.52 billion, was the first public-private partnership (PPP) contract awarded in the country.

GMCAC is 60 percent owned by listed Filipino construction company Megawide Construction Corp. and 40 percent by Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd.