BICOL INTL AIRPORT UPDATE XHere are my notes on Bicol International Airport during the meeting w DOTC Sec Jun Abaya and his management team last August 28, 2014 8-10am at the OSEC, Columbia Towers, Ortigas Ave * P2.2bn of runway, taxiway, apron and permitter fence now 39.2% complete as of Aug. 2014 and target completion by May 2015. Thats very positive development. * Terminal - delays due to design inputs to the terminal worth P1.2bn, design to be finalised by Sep. 12 and bidding in September. * Based on their target - terminal construction to start in Jan 2015 and completed by July 2017, another delay but we agreed to do a partial opening by May 2016 * I will get a copy of the new airport terminal design by next week * I reiterated to that we need a new airport - bigger, with night landing and international since our tourism is growing rapidly from 8,700 foreign tourists in 2007 to 339,000 in 2013. Leaping by 47% in 2012, 66% in 2013 and after a flat 1Q, another 52% growth in 2Q 2014 by 20 * Since the airside is already complete by May 2015, then the ability of the airport to admit intl flights is an issue of CIQS * I informed Sec Jun that CIQS (CUSTOMS, IMMIGRATION, QUARANTINE AND SECURITY) is now in place for intl flights and in fact has been operating quite efficiently underh the Albay Intl. Gateway. with PAL and Cebupacific chartered flights from Xiamen, soon from Shanghai and Taipeh/Kaohsiung. * Thus, the Daraga Intl Airport can start operate to accommodate more intl. and domestic flights even with a partial opening of the terminal. * Right now, I also informed them that Smart has started to dismantle the tower which would allow night flights in Legazpi in preparations for APEC. And it will also make intl chartered flights to Legazpi, Albay cheaper and allow more domestic flights. * A seaside approach to landing has already been registered and published by CAAP in ICAO last May and should be operational in time for APEC.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 20:50:09 +0000
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