PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will be in Cebu tomorrow for the groundbreaking of the new Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
He will be joined by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.
Normal operations will be observed in the main terminal during the president’s visit, according to GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) that manages airport terminal operations.
Phase 1 of Terminal 2 costs around P32 billion. The project is due for completion in the summer of 2018.
GMR-Megawide has a 25-year concesssion agreement with the national government under a Public-Private Partnership after winning the bid for the construction of the Terminal 2.
The GMCAC officially took over terminal operations last Nov. 1, 2014.
Terminal 2 will occupy 50,000 square meters and have 48 check-in counters that can be increased to 72 and seven to 12 boarding bridges, based on the design.
There will also be 12 escalators and 15 elevators for the easy movement of guests. Plans also call for opening a mall and a hotel on the site.
When completed, it will accommodate more passengers from the current total capacity of 4.5 million passengers to 12.5 million passengers.
“We envision the MCIA to become the world’s friendliest airport getaway that demonstrates the warmth and hospitality of the Cebuano people. It’s an airport that will make you feel that your resort experience has started the moment you set foot in here,” Andrew Harrison, GMCAC chief executive advisor said in a statement.
The additional terminal is seen to provide 2,000 to 3,000 jobs including contractors within the 3-year construction period and additional 500 jobs on the first year of terminal 2 operations.