New Bohol airport to open in Oct – DoTr

THE New Bohol ( Panglao) Airport will be inaugurated in October— not in August as planned— as it is only 92.14 percent complete as of end- July, the Department of Transportation ( DoTr) said on Sunday.

Despite the two- month delay, DoTr noted that the project, which began in June 2015, was three years ahead of its original targeted completion date.

“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 as saying in a statement.

Tugade ordered the airport’s nonstop and accelerated construction in July 2016. Completion rate surged to 85.66 percent as a result, compared with 6.48 percent recorded from June 22, 2015 to June 30, 2016.

The airport’s runway can accommodate seven planes at any time, including wide- body ones for international flights.

The department is touting the air facility as the “Green Gate-

and is expected “to be held to the highest standards of green

“The airport will primarily use natural ventilation. Solar panels will also be installed on the passenger terminal building roof, which can cover [ about] one- third of the airport’s passenger terminal building energy

According to DoTr, the terminal building measures 13,884 square meters, and is equipped with three boarding bridges and a baggage handling system.

The air hub is designed to accommodate 2 million passengers, compared with the Tagbilaran Airport’s 800,000.