Nov. 28, 2018

The new Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA) officially starts its operation a day after it was inaugurated. The 220-hectare BPIA is also the country’s first eco-airport as it features solar panels that provide 30 percent of its electricity needs and has a sewage treatment plant that filters waste water to be used again or be sent off to the seas. According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the BPIA has a total project cost of P8.914 billion, jointly funded by the national government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The new airport was designed to accommodate two million passengers a year, an increase from the capacity of the old airport in Tagbilaran, which can only serve 800,000 passengers per year at the most. The BPIA, according tp the DOTr, is also capable of accommodating four large jets, such as the Boeing 777 or Airbus A330, or seven small jets like the Airbus A321 or A200 on its parking apron. The airport design was inspired by Bohol’s top natural tourist attraction, the Chocolate Hills.