Mactan international airport’s terminal building to be upgraded to increase capacity

Posted on August 21, 2008

Mactan international airport’s terminal building to be upgraded to increase capacity THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport is embarking on a P300-million renovation and upgrading of its lone terminal building in order to increase its capacity and improve services.

The project will expand the existing floor space in the terminal and the construction of additional passenger lounges and bays to accommodate more aircraft, including the wide-bodied long-haul airlines.

Airport general manager Danilo Francia said consultants are drafting engineering drawings on the new floor plan and passenger bays, adding bidding could be launched by the end of the year.

The entire project is expected to be completed in 2009.

The 20-year-old airport on Mactan Island handles close to 80 international and some 300 domestic flights a week, excluding cargo planes and military aircraft.

“The face of the terminal will change as we plan to increase the standards of our airport. This terminal is still useful for the next several years and we plan to maximize it,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Francia said the four existing passenger bridges and its single tube will be expanded to two tubes each, so aircraft can dock left and right of each bridge.

Two more bridges with two tubes will be constructed on both ends of the terminal. The bridges can accommodate large aircraft with two tubes facilitating simultaneous disembarking of passengers.

The waiting lounges will also be expanded while new ones will be built for budget airlines.

Francia said inside the building, administration and support services offices will be transferred to give more space for passengers and airline offices.

The airport authority is also set to increase the standard of stores inside the airport and will give way to bigger shops.

Francia said the existing single runway and the supporting taxiway and aprons are still world-class and could accommodate the biggest aircraft, including the Airbus 380s.

“The capacity of the runway is still just over 50 percent. It can still accommodate a lot of increased traffic,” he said.