Bicol Airport Opens, Legaspi Closes

Inauguration Set on October 6

3 October 2021

 

Legaspi Airports bids farewell to its old home on October 5 and transfers residence to a much bigger house. Bicol International Airport will carry the ICAO name of Legaspi Airport which will be relegated to military airport.

There is no weekend for Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade as he made a Sunday visit to check the progress of the construction works for the country’s “Most Scenic Gateway—the Bicol International Airpot (BIA), before presentation to the President Wednesday .

Bicol International Airport is not only the most scenic in the country. It is also the longest to be build in the country having been approved for construction in 2008.

The airport development project was delayed for 11 YEARS, suffered two CPP-NPA armed attacks opposed to its construction, and went through three (3) groundbreaking ceremonies prior to the current administration. It will finally be completed before the end of the year. The airport is slated to serve a total of two (2) million passengers per annum, once operational.

Bicol Airport Takes First Flight

As CAAP Calibrates Airside Facilities

 28 July 2021

 

 

Bicol Airport Takes Shape

 4 March 2021

Bicol International Airport takes shape.

Posted by Department of Transportation - Philippines on Wednesday, March 3, 2021

 

The Transport Department has announced that construction of the P4.978-billion Bicol International Airport is now 75% complete, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.

It is slated for completion and to open on the fourth quarter of this year. The actual construction of the airport started in December 2016. 

The 75% completion rate is the project’s overall progress rate, comprising Packages 2A and 2B.

Package 2A of the airport project is at 89.784%. 

Package 2A covers the airport’s landside facilities, such as the Administration Building, Air Traffic Control Building, Crash Fire Rescue Building, and the Maintenance Building.

Meanwhile Package 2B of the airport project is now 52.699% complete. 

It covers the construction of the passenger terminal building (PTB), taxiway, runway extension, and other site development works.

Gulfstream Lands at BIA

Prematurely

11 January 2018

A Gulfstream G200 (RP-C280) jet belonging to Asian Aerospace has made an emergency landing at Bicol International Airport (BIA) runway 11:30a.m. Wednesday due to heavy downdraft while on final approach to Legaspi Airport.

The jet that departed Manila Domestic Airport came to a complete stop at the shoulder of the runway laying at the grassy area of the BIA in Daraga, Albay, some 5 nautical miles from its intended destination.

There was no reported injuries.



The private jet chartered by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) was piloted by Captain Pedro Pangilinan, Jr. and First Officer Jasper Ferguson and carried four passengers whose names are withheld due to "privacy issues."

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) disclosed that BIA is still a non-operational airport as it is still under construction but with a completed runway. There is also no control tower and ARFF vehicles that would assist the distressed aircraft.

CAAP aircraft probers, ambulance and a Fire Truck were immediately dispatched to the area.


CAAP said the cause of the emergency landing was "wind drop" according to the pilot, but probers will still summon the two pilots to determine what exactly happen. The result of the investigation would not be released this week because investigators will have to gather more evidence from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to be send to Manila, including the pilot communication to Legaspi Tower.

DOTr Unveils Major Airports Projects

Set For Completion Before 2022

27 April 2017
Major Airport Projects

Airport Operations, Management, and Development 
Under Public Private Partnership Scheme

• ₱40b - Davao International Airport
• Construction of parallel taxiway
• PTB expansion (65,000 to 125,000 sq.m )
• CTB expansion (13,000 to 27,000 sq.m)
• VPA expansion
• Apron expansion
• ₱30b - Iloilo International Airport
• PTB expansion
• ₱20b - Bacolod International Airport
• PTB expansion
• ₱15b - Laguindingan Airport
• PTB expansion
• ₱02b - Bohol International Airport

Other DOTC Airport Projects

• ₱3b - Tacloban Airport
• ₱2b - General Santos International Airport
• ₱1b - Dipolog Airport
• ₱1b - Sangley Airport 
• ₱1b - Naga Airport 

Bicol Airport Lays Groundwork For PTB

8 December 2016

Bicol International Airport Passenger terminal (PTB) break grounds today with President Rodrigo Duterte spearheading the time capsule laying at the airport complex.

The airport terminal project was upgraded by the Transport Department (DOTr) after the Laguindingan Airport experience where the brand new terminal was operating at capacity barely three months after opening itself to the public and has operated beyond capacity ever since. Capacity shortfall was caused by repeated project implementation delays on account of budget shortfall of the national government which also plagued Bicol and other airport infrastructure projects.

The old terminal planning design made possible by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that sponsored Airports Master Planning Project prepared in 1997 was good for project implemented in 2003 with supposed completion date in 2006, but problems in lot acquisitions and budgetary shortfalls prompted project deferrals for 10 years.

The revised project schedule covers dramatic expansion of passenger terminal building from the original 5,250 square meters to 13,220 square meters with Passenger Boarding Bridge facilities, designed to address the expected passenger volume of about 2.15 million by 2025. Similar revisions were being implemented for ongoing airport projects in Puerto Princesa and Tagbilaran and for the upgrading of General Santos Airport terminal building.

The airport construction project will have a price tag of P4.8 billion, and is expected to be completed in 2020.

DOTC Bids Phase 3 of Albay Airport

Terminal Building, ILS To Be Package Separately

21 December 2014

The Transport Department (DOTC) is set to complete the long delayed, always attacked airport infrastructure project with a trance contract valued at P780.9-million which is set for auction on January 21, 2015.

Phase 1 and 2 valued at P2.2 billion which includes landside (terminal) and airside (runway and taxiway) developments to Bicol International Airport site in Albay is already 45% complete according to DOTC and is slated for completion by May of next year.

The third phase involves more site development works for power, sewer and chlorination facility and water utilities; construction of administration building housing the CAA Office, operations facility and control tower; a separate cargo terminal building, a building for fire and rescue, a power house and maintenance building housing materials recovery facilities, water pump house and water tank, a chilled-water pumphouse for terminal airconditioning; underground fuel storage; and guard houses.

The P700 million passenger terminal building (PTB) comprise the fourth phase and is package separately from the contract which will be bidded out soon. The fifth phase also covers PTB valued separately at more than P500 million to cover lights, furnitures, fixtures, office equipments, X-rays and security equipments, and finishing paints and touches.

The last package for this airport consists of navigational and meteorological equipments, including the ILS equipments valued at P1.3 billion under the 2016 GAA, to support all weather day and night airport operations.

Bicol International Airport has a total price tag of P4.7 billion from the original price of P3.4-billion. It is constructed in Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay and set for completion in 2017.