EXCITEMENT BUILDS UP FOR OPENING OF TERMINAL 2

With an increased passenger capacity at the Mactan Cebu International Airport, tourism sector leaders see benefits for hotels, tour and transport operators.

In about five weeks, the worldclass Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 will be operational, increasing prospects for stakeholders in tourism.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) General Manager Steve Dicdican said they will be ready to inaugurate the new terminal on June 7 and it will be fully operational by July 1.

The MCIA Terminal 2 will be used entirely for international departing and arriving passengers while the old MCIA Terminal 1, which was constructed in the 1990s, will be used by domestic passengers only.

MCIAA Media Manager Mary Ann Dimabayao said the construction of Terminal 2 is part of the P14.4-billion concession of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) under a Public-Private Partnership agreement.

Under the agreement, GMCAC, led by Louie Ferrer as president and Andrew Aquaah Harrison as executive advisor, will operate the terminal for 25 years.

Dimabayao said the old Terminal 1 has a capacity of 4.4 million passengers. Once the Terminal 2 is operational, both terminals will be able to accommodate about 12 million arriving and departing airline passengers a year.

“Supervising the Terminal 2 is an additional function of Mactan-Cebu International Authority or MCIAA as a government regulator,” Dimabayao said. The MCIAA is under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Quoting GMCAC officials, Edwin Ortiz, chair of the Cebu Business Month (CBM) Tourism Committee, earlier said that the new terminal will double or triple the capacity to accommodate both domestic and international tourists.

Ortiz said the business community is excited about the opening of the new terminal because it is expected to attract more tourists and boost the income of transport operators, hotels, travel agencies, resorts, and tourist spot owners.

“This has a big impact on us because the more tourists coming in, the more people will be visiting our tourist attractions, which in turn will increase the income of all stakeholders,” Ortiz said.