By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
After a four-year hiatus, Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo, will resume direct international flights starting this October, prompting calls to the national government to hasten the airport’s expansion and upgrades.
Cebu Pacific announced on Friday, July 26, that it will relaunch direct flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Iloilo to Singapore. These routes were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Eve de Guzman, Cebu Pacific’s marketing director, confirmed this development during the 33rd Visayas Area Business Conference in Iloilo City.
The Iloilo-Hong Kong flights will begin on October 27, 2024, while the date for the Iloilo-Singapore flights has yet to be announced.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, an advocate for the airport’s redevelopment, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) must expedite its expansion and rehabilitation efforts with the return of international flights.
“It is now imperative that DOTr proceeds with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) of our international airport with haste and urgency,” he said in a statement.
Treñas also called on the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Immigration to prepare for the resumption of international flights.
“I have been writing to Cebu Pacific’s management regarding these new flights, following requests from our OFWs who either work in Hong Kong or Singapore, or use these locations as transfer points from their original places of work in the US, Europe, or the Middle East,” he added.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Area VI (CAAP-6) previously said that the Iloilo airport is ready to accommodate international flights but is only awaiting proposals from airline companies.
CAAP-6 Manager Engr. Eusebio Monserate Jr. said they previously implemented a slotting mechanism when the Iloilo airport still accommodated international flights. This system allows CAAP, the airport operator, to schedule specific times for airlines to land or take off.
“The operation of the airport is 24 hours to avoid congestion. We are scheduling flights at times when there are no domestic arrivals,” he said.
Currently, the Iloilo airport serves seven domestic routes with a total of 20 flights daily.
The Iloilo airport is set to upgrade this year through the P190 million budget from the national government’s 2024 Aviation Transport Infrastructure Program.
There is also ongoing negotiation regarding an unsolicited proposal from Prime Asset Ventures Incorporated, a subsidiary of the Villar Group of Companies, to rehabilitate and expand the airport’s facilities.
Based on the PPP Center website, the proposed project is pegged at P14.7 billion and will be under an operate-add-transfer contract agreement.
Key components of the project include expanding the passenger terminal building with the necessary facilities to meet international standards and constructing an adjacent apron.
It will also renovate the existing terminal, install required equipment for passenger services, and maintain the terminal buildings and facilities throughout the concession period.
