THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) is hoping to complete the runway at Bukidnon airport by the second quarter of next year.
“We are targeting to finish the passenger terminal building by December 2026. The challenge right now is the topography. Hopefully, by the second quarter we can finish the entire 2,100-meter runway,” Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said on Monday at the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Infrastructure forum.
The DoTr is working to bring major provincial airports to the 2,100-meter runway standard, which will allow them to receive single-aisle jets like the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737.
The program is being positioned as a means of ultimately lowering air ticket prices as airlines benefit from the scale offered by switching to single-aisle jets from turboprops currently serving smaller airports.
Separately, Mr. Lopez said construction of the passenger terminal building at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan will be completed by next year.
“Last year, we started the construction and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) committed to finish this by the second quarter of next year,” he said.
SMC, through its infrastructure unit, is modernizing Godofredo P. Ramos Airport on Panay, which serves as the gateway to Boracay.
In 2024, SMC tapped Megawide Construction Corp. to design and construct the airport’s passenger terminal building.
SMC is also undertaking the development of the P740-billion airport in Bulacan, which will be known as the New Manila International Airport. — Ashley Erika O. Jose