AIRLINE executives are keen on boosting their presence in Cebu following the inauguration of the Mactan Cebu International Airport’s (MCIA) Terminal 2 on Thursday, June 7.
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Air said it is eyeing to expand its route from Cebu to countries in north Asia like China, Korea and Japan while they continue to connect the islands of the country.
“I am happy of this new terminal. It is something that the whole province and country will benefit from. It is a great entry point and is the nicest airport in the Philippines,” said Lance Gokongwei, chief executive officer of Cebu Pacific Inc.
“We are very excited of this new airport as this will enable us to add more flights,” said Gokongwei, who is also the CEO of JG Summit Holdings Inc.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the private operator of MCIA, envisions the airport to become the “friendliest gateway destination.”
AirAsia Philippines CEO captain Dexter Comendador said he is happy that Cebu now has an upgraded airport that could cater to a lot of international guests.
He said the opening of the Terminal 2 would give them the capacity to expand their network.
For this year, AirAsia Philippines is linking Cebu to three destinations in China -- Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.
“With the new planes that will arrive, we plan to add more routes by next year,” said Comendador.
President Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated Thursday, June 7, the 65,000-square-meter Terminal 2.
The terminal will increase MCIA’s current passenger capacity to a minimum of 12.5 million passengers per year. It will be Cebu’s dedicated international terminal.
Last year, 10 million passengers, both foreign and local, passed through MCIA, which connects Cebu to 25 international destinations, 30 domestic destinations and with 26 partner airlines.
MCIA is eyeing an 11.2-million passenger traffic this year, a projected 12 percent increase from last year’s record.
Terminal 2 will have 48 check-in counters that are expandable to 72. It has provisions for seven passenger boarding bridges, which can be expanded to 12 boarding bridges.
The new terminal will also be equipped with 12 escalators and 15 elevators to facilitate the easy movement of passengers.
Terminal 2 will offer an exciting and wide-ranging retail environment with approximately 3,000 square meters of gross leasable area dedicated to commercial space for the convenience and leisure of passengers. It also features a walk through Duty Free.
Terminal 2’s food and beverage is operated by British company SSP Group, which also operates in some of the world’s busiest airports such as London’s Heathrow Airport, New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport, and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
A car parking facility will be constructed that can accommodate 550 cars, which is expandable to 750 cars. There will also be an array of food and retail choices, including a mall, casino, and a hotel. (SunStar Cebu)