PRESIDENT IN AWE DUTERTE: BEAUTIFUL AIRPORT
“World-class.”
This was how tourism stakeholders and guests described the $600-million Terminal 2 (T2) of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), which was inaugurated yesterday by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The awe-inspiring worldclass new terminal will bring boundless opportunities for Cebu to grow as a vibrant economy. It’s a showcase of global ingenuity and local creativity. Congratulations to GMR Megawide and MCIAA for providing Cebuanos and the rest of the world this one-of-a-kind technology-driven resort airport,” said Melanie Ng, past-president of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“It makes me feel proud of the progress we are currently facing in Cebu. This should be a model project for both private and public sector,” said Carlo Suarez, president of Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu.
Suarez is confident T2 will further boost Cebu’s international arrivals at the same time open windows of opportunities for trade and tourism-related businesses.
The T2 radiated a resort-feel ambience, as guests were dressed in business attire, with most women in floral dresses. Some of Mactan’s resorts hosted cocktails for the guests.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the private operator of MCIA, envisioned the 65,000-square-meter airport to become the “friendliest gateway destination.”
“Now, more than ever, Cebu will continue to help the country provide greater access to markets and promote connectivity to seamless travel,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat.
She said that attaining the 12 million inbound visitors and 89.2 million domestic travelers in 2022 will now be within closer reach with the opening of T2 on top of other initiatives like the upgrade of gateways, development of more destinations, and sustaining international tourism standards.
“It is an airport we can all be proud of. This will definitely bring more opportunities for Cebu,” said Wilfredo Saa Jr., managing director of Cebu ITBPM Organization.
MCIA is eyeing 11.2 million passenger traffic this year, a projected 12-percent increase from last year’s record.
In 2017, 10 million foreign and
local passengers passed through MCIA, which connects Cebu to 25 international destinations and 30 domestic destinations. MCIA has 26 partner airlines. Businessman Glenn Anthony Soco, also past president of Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said investments to Cebu will get a boost following the opening of T2.
“It will complement the growth and urbanization of Cebu. Truly, a world-class development, which will reinforce Cebu’s position in the global arena as a business and tourism destination,” said Soco.
Moreover, airline executives are keen on boosting their presence in Cebu.
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Air said it is eyeing to expand its route from Cebu to countries in north Asia like China, Korea and Japan while they continue to connect the islands of the country.
“I am happy of this new terminal. It is something that the whole province and country will benefit from. It is a great entry point and is the nicest airport in the Philippines,” said Lance Gokongwei, chief executive officer Cebu Pacific Inc.
“We are very excited of this new airport as this will enable us to add more flights,” said Gokongwei, who is also the CEO of JG Summit Holdings Inc.
AirAsia Philippines CEO captain Dexter Comendador said he’s happy Cebu now has an upgraded airport that can cater to a lot of international guests.
He said the opening of T2 will allow them to expand their network.
For this year, AirAsia Philippines is linking Cebu to three destinations in China—Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.
“With the new planes that will arrive we plan to add more routes by next year,” said Comendador.
T2 will have 48 check-in counters that are expandable to 72. It has provisions for seven passenger boarding bridges, which can be expanded to 12 boarding bridges.
The new terminal will also be equipped with 12 escalators and 15 elevators to facilitate passenger movement.
T2 will offer an exciting and wide-ranging retail environment with approximately 3,000 square meters of gross leasable area dedicated to commercial space for the convenience and leisure of passengers. It also features a walk-through Duty Free.
T2’s food and beverage is operated by British company SSP Group, which also operates in some of the world’s busiest airports, such as London’s Heathrow Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
A car park will be constructed that can accommodate 550 cars, which is expandable to 750 cars. There will also be an array of food and retail choices, including a mall, casino, and a hotel.