Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Arthur Tugade in his site inspection of the Bohol Panglao International Airport expressed confidence that construction of the facility will be completed in June next year.
Tugade, who visited the P7.8-billion airport on Tuesday, said that construction is now “55 percent” complete although continued rains have slightly slackened progress.
According to Tugade, commercial operations can start as early as August in 2018 just two months after the projected completion of the project.
In a quick interview, Tugade told local media that the international airport in the resort town of Panglao will be one of the country’s “best airports” once completed.
He cited the advantage of the Bohol Panglao International Airport since it has already space for further expansion.
Congestion problems encountered in most airports in the country will be done away with at the Panglao facility due to the vast area procured by the government, he said.
The Panglao airport was designed to have six passenger boarding bridges, or tubes, while its runway will be 2.5 km long once completed.
According to Tugade, the runway—1,800 m of which is already paved—is expected to be completed before yearend while the passenger terminal is slated for completion in February next year.
The runway has also been set for expansion even prior to its completion as an additional 300-meter segment will be added to extend it to 2,800 meters after the airport is already operational.
This will allow the facility to accommodate aircraft used for transpacific and transatlantic flights, said the DOTr.
READ: Test flight successful in new Panglao airport
Tugade, along with National Economic and Development Authority Director General Ernesto Pernia and Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., inspected the airport on Tuesday.
They arrived on board a small private aircraft testing the fully paved segment of the Panglao runway for the first time. (RT)