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Caticlan airport upgrade launched

2.5 Billion project on full swing



January 16, 2010

Caticlan - The first Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) airport in the country was launched by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday as she laid together with Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, and private airport operator George Yang-led Caticlan International Airport Development Corporation, the time capsule officially starting the work for the Caticlan Airport Development Program (CADP) in Aklan.

Currently there are two airline operators in Caticlan, PAL Express and SEAIR. The airport brought in 761,961 passengers and 6.28 million kilos of cargo in 2008 making it the busiest domestic airport in the country outside Manila in terms of aircraft movements.

The Caticlan International Airport Development Corporation, which was awarded 25 year airport concession, will undertake the modernization program on a BOT (build operate transfer) scheme at a cost of P2.507 billion.

The modernization programs will be done in four phases with construction duration of seven years.

The first phase will involve the improvement of the existing terminal building to add more passenger capacity in the interim, while simultaneously constructing extension and widening of the runway to accommodate ATR 72, MA-60 and Q400 of operating airlines. The parking area will also be expanded together with other ancillary airport facilities. The Project is slated to be completed in one year after which the second phase will commence.

The airport operator will add another floor to the one-storey terminal building on the second year of the program together with the flattening out of the hill that hampers aircraft's safe approach from the east.The project will involve movement of 350,000 cubic meters of soil to be used for reclamation project of the airport. It is also obliged in the contract to fence in the airport, upgrade the fire station equipments, and fit the facility with new navigational aids to enable it to be an ICAO standard airport. The second phase has construction duration of three years from the completion of phase one or year 2011.

The third phase will require construction of runway extension and widening for another 1000 meters to make it a class 4D airport with 2,000 meter runway sufficient to accommodate domestic A320 and B737NG flights. The construction work has a duration of two years from 2014.

In 2016, the airport operator will construct a new and bigger two storey terminal building with optional aerobridge facilities for the last and final phase of the project.

Upon completion in 2018, the airport will be able to accommodate wide body jets with passengers bound to Boracay Island while retaining international flight operations at Kalibo airport which now host flights from China, Korea, and Taiwan.

1 comment:

  1. wonder why caap is negotiating the lot owners as it is a private consortium.they are offlimits in this transactions

    ReplyDelete