Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines headquarters | INQUIRER FILES
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has allocated P12.4 billion this year to improve the country’s aviation facilities amid the momentum in air travel here and abroad.
In a statement on Thursday, CAAP said it would spend P10.6 billion for civil works and P1.8 billion for equipment and systems upgrade this year.
The attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) wants to make airports in Cauayan, Dipolog and Pagadian night-rated so they can accommodate more flights given the heightened air travel demand.
CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo said they want to make the “Philippine sky safe” by putting up necessary aviation infrastructure.
The DOTr has been beefing up its airport projects in the countryside to support travel across the archipelago.
Among the projects in the pipeline are the New Dumaguete Airport Development project, Tacloban Airport, Busuanga Airport, Laoag International Airport and Iloilo International Airport.
The government previously identified New Zamboanga International Airport and Siquijor Airport as its greenfield airport projects.
The DOTr is also working on putting up airports in Masbate, Naga, Pangasinan, Siargao, Itbayat, Maasin and Hilongos.
This year, the Laguindingan International Airport and Bohol-Panglao International Airport will be turned over to the Aboitiz Group.
For the first phase of the project, the Laguindingan airport’s capacity will increase to 3.9 million passengers per annum (mppa) from the current mppa. It will be further expanded to 6.3 mppa during the second phase.