World-class Mactan-Cebu airport terminal opens June

CEBU CITY – The Terminal 2 of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is 74 percent complete and will open in June.

Andrew Harrison, chief executive advisor of the GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), a Filipino-led consortium that manages the MCIA, gave the update during the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) general membership meeting over the weekend.

“The goal is Cebu-World-Cebu! MCIA is soon to be the country’s airport that feels like a resort, an airport that is not just a gateway but a destination,” Harrison said.

T2 has three levels for international flights. In the concession agreement the new terminal was to cover 42,000 square meters but Harrison it was decided to expand the area to 65,000 sq.m. for more space, comfort and convenience.

He said all airports in the world have their own identity. Delhi airport is transformational and welcoming, while Singapore Changi airport has the flavor of Singapore.

The Mactan-Cebu airport will put Cebu on the world tourism map as a tropical island, he said. The design and the materials used will make the airport “one of the beautiful terminal buildings in the world,” Harrison said.

“No terminal in the world that used so much quantity of wood for its roofing — wood is more representative of the culture and heritage in Cebu,” he said.

The ceiling is high for the natural sunlight to get through while the concrete polished flooring has mother of pearl inserts to look like sand, “represents Cebu as a tropical Island” Harrison said as he showed the intricate design on video.