THE GMR-Megawide consortium said Thursday, June 29, that it is ready to face challengers to their P208.8-billion proposal to, among others, construct a second runway and a third passenger terminal at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) is seeking approval of its unsolicited proposal to extend its concession to operate the Mactan Airport terminal for 25 more years.
The proposal has been submitted to the Department of Transportation and Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA). If approved, the proposal will be subjected to a Swiss Challenge, allowing other companies to match the proponent's bid or offer better terms.
GMCAC president Louie Ferrer said they need 25 more years to recover their investments at the Mactan airport.
The company won the P17.5-billion public-private partnership contract to upgrade the existing terminal and build a new terminal, which will increase capacity to 12 million passengers a year from the current 4.5 million. The airport serves around seven million passengers a year.
Ferrer also said their studies show that Mactan airport needs a second runway to prevent congestion, similar to the current situation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila. Domestic and international flights at the NAIA are normally delayed for hours because of congestion.
Ferrer said Mactan airport is projected to serve 28 million passengers by 2039.
Jaime Raphael "Jim" Feliciano, head of airports business development of Megawide's parent firm Citicore Holdings Investment Inc., presented the long-term development plan for the airport that will increase annual capacity to 50 million passengers in the next 50 years.
Feliciano said that the Mactan airport, like other airports in the country, has only one runway.
A single runway can handle as much as 20 million passengers a year, Feliciano said. Beyond that, at least two runways are needed, he said.
NAIA currently handles 39 million passengers annually, but only has a one-and-a-half runway.
“So, you can imagine the amount of congestion already being experienced by that airport…,” he said.
Under its 50-year proposal, GMCAC intends to take over and rehabilitate the airside facilities of Mactan Airport, which are currently being maintained by MCIAA, to secure the unconstrained growth of the airport. Airside includes the runway, taxiways, apron and other facilities accessible to aircraft.
The proposal also involves a reclamation project, which will serve as the relocation site for Mactan Economic Zone firms that will be affected by airport expansion.