The New Bohol (Panglao) Airport is set for inauguration in October, two months after its initially projected start of commercial operations in August.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that the facility is 92.14 percent complete as of July 31.

Dubbed the “Green Gateway to the World,” the new airport at the tourist island of Panglao is set to become the country’s first international eco-airport.

“Everyone should be excited about Panglao airport. I am very excited. This is the kind of airport that we should be building, an airport that has regard for the environment and the future generations,” said DOTr Sec. Arthur Tugade.

Solar panels are projected to cover one-third of the Passenger Terminal Building’s (PTB) power consumption while the entire facility will primarily use natural ventilation.

The DOTr said that after the Duterte administration took over in July of 2016, Tugade ordered “a 24/7 construction schedule” to fast-track completion of the airport.

“We needed a catch-up plan for the Panglao airport. The 2021 target is just too long. How can you explain to the people that it took you six years to build an airport? Kinailangan po nating habulin, at iyon po ang ginawa natin,” said Tugade.

The airport was designed to accommodate two million passengers in a year, more than double the capacity of Bohol’s lone commercial airport in Tagbilaran City.

The facility will have 13,884-sqm PTB and will be equipped with three boarding bridges, a baggage handling system, and an apron that can accommodate 7 aircrafts at a time.