Bacolod, Bohol, Iloilo International Airports are Top Alternatives to Manila’s Worst NAIA

Manila | The worsening condition of Ninoy Aquino International Airport is prompting some provincial officials to expand their international airports for possible increase of traffic and cargo movements.

In Bacolod City, the National Economic Development Board (NEDB) in the Philippines has cleared the $45m (PHP1.9bn) expansion project for Bacolod-Silay International Airport.

According to the NEDA statement: “It would provide additional facilities and other necessary improvements to enhance safety, security, access, passenger and cargo movement efficiency, and operational efficiency at the airport, excluding air navigation control, air navigation services and their associated services.”

NEDA added that the Bacolod-Silay International Airport’s strategic location being inside the center of the Visayas region is the first option for International flights going to Visayas and Mindanao in the near future.

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The creation of Negros Island Region also validates the airport’s position as the main hub for future international flights according to the agency.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) on the other hand has allocated P790.5 million for the expansion of Iloilo International Airport.

Architect Alan Patches of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAA) during late last week’s dialogue with the Western Visayas Inter-Chamber Regional Group disclosed that a consultant has been tapped for said expansion work.

In Bohol, Engineering giant Chiyoda and Mitsubishi Corp. have signed a contract to build a new airport in the Philippines, as the country strives to bolster weak infrastructure links with the help of Japanese corporations.

Construction will begin shortly on the central island of Bohol, with plans for completion in 2017. The airport will be equipped with a 2,000-meter runway and terminal facilities and will cost about 11 billion yen ($91 million of P4.1B). The project will be financed mostly through yen-denominated loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Aside from Mactan International Airport in Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Bohol international airports will be the future airports from travelers and tourists visiting Visayas and Mindanao according to travel websites Tripadvisor and Agoda as the national government always fail to improve the service level of one of the worst airports in the world, the NAIA.

 /Ricky Villamonte/ Assisted Press

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