Thursday, July 31, 2008 Airport braces for more travelers By Debra M. Estero Sun.Star Correspondent
ONGOING expansion efforts at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are expected to accommodate the estimated growth in passenger volume for the next three years.
After 2011, there might be a need to build another terminal, said Danilo Augusto Francia, general manager of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).
In an interview with reporters yesterday, Francia also said MCIAA has observed a 20 percent growth in the number of international passengers and this might also prompt the agency to add international lounges soon.
Lounge 6 at the international flights’ wing is still unused but since there are low-cost foreign airlines that are looking at operating in Cebu, this lounge might be opened for them, he said.
He, however, refused to name the airline companies.
At present, Francia said the Cebu airport serves 74 international flights a week, 30 flights more compared to two years ago.
There are also 291 domestic flights weekly at the airport.
The international terminal is now serving 900,000 passengers in a year but it is still capable of accommodating 600,000 more.
“So we’re still good for three more years,” Francia said.
The Department of Tourism aims to attract one million foreign tourists to Cebu by 2012.
The domestic terminal, on the other hand, has not yet reached its maximum capacity of 3.6 million passengers on a yearly basis.
Domestic
Current domestic passenger volume is pegged between 2.3 million to 2.5 million.
But since MCIAA is lobbying for the opening a one-stop shop for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) here in Cebu, Francia said the volume of international passengers will substantially grow when one will be set up.
But OFWs still exit and enter through the Manila airport since most of the placement agencies and consulates are based in Manila.
Francia said the MCIAA is ready to collaborate with other agencies, like the Department of Foreign Affairs, to invite the different embassies to open consulate offices here in Cebu under the one-stop-shop concept.
Meanwhhile, the airport’s runway has not been fully used and can still serve its function for the next seven years.
Aside from expanding its facilities, Francia said the MCIAA is also working at how it can open some spaces within the airport by removing or relocating offices.
MCIAA is also looking at purchasing new automated equipment, like the hold baggage system, to avoid unnecessary queuing and crowding of passengers.
“But we are all taking this one step at a time,” he said.
