THE runway operations of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are now back to normal following the completion of an asphalt overlay work in the facility.

This, as the operation of MCIA’s Terminal 2 has been credited to have helped make the airport place 9th in the Top 10 Most On-Time Airports list in Southeast Asia for August this year.

Steve Dicdican, general manager of MCIA, said the runway rehabilitation was completed in 21 days.

“This is a very ambitious project for 21 days, five hours closure. No one has done that in this country,” he said.

“I don’t know in other parts of the world. We did it this way. We did it properly and successfully,” Dicdican said.

He thanked everyone who contributed to the completion of the project, including the four contractors who made sure the project continued despite bad weather.

But while the runway operations are back to normal, Dicdican urged passengers to arrive early at the airport to avoid being stuck in traffic, especially with the repair works going on in one viaduct of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

Dicdican welcomes MCIA’s placing 9th in the Top 10 Most On-Time Airports in Southeast Asia by an air travel intelligence agency based in the United Kingdom.

Dicdican said the construction of Terminal 2 has helped the airport get a 70 percent rating in the survey’s on-time performance.

“We have a new terminal, which means more parking spaces for our airplanes and bigger processing areas for passengers,” Dicdican said.

He is confident the newly rehabilitated runway will also contribute to more success for MCIA in the future.

The asphalt overlay project had a budget of P255 million.

The runway is 60 meters wide and 3.4 kilometers long. FVQ, USJ-R Intern Ma. Devorah Taneo