THE Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) is planning to turn the Bantayan Island Airport into a “commercial tourism airport” so that it can accommodate big commercial aircraft for tourists wanting to visit the northern islands of Cebu Province.
This was raised during MCIAA’s board meeting on Thursday, May 6, 2021, which was led by MCIAA’s Chairman of the Board and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
According to Sugbo News, the MCIAA passed several resolutions to upgrade the Bantayan Island Airport, including widening its runway from 18 meters, the standard for a community airport, to 30 meters, the standard for a commercial airport.
Tugade said that there is a need to upgrade the Bantayan Island Airport to respond to the increasing number of tourists wanting to visit Bantayan, Madridejos, and Santa Fe.
He said that the Department of Transportation will help look for funds for the upgrades. He also said that the MCIAA is targeting the first quarter of 2022 to accomplish the upgrades.