The Mactan Airport today and tomorrow

Last Friday evening, upon the invitation of Mr. Andrew Harrison, general manager of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) under the management of GMR/Megawide consortium who joined the Cebu media and tour operators on that historic Philippine Airlines (PAL) direct flight from Cebu to Los Angeles last March 15 we held a reunion at the Radisson Blu Hotel. But the group got more than just a fabulous dinner in Radisson Blu because Mr. Harrison gave us an overview of what GMR/Megawide has in store for the future of the Mactan International Airport.

Mr. Harrison gave us a PowerPoint presentation starting with their Strategic Initiatives... first to develop MCIA as a hub making Mactan an international gateway in the Southern Philippines. They would develop direct international flights with existing international airlines and airlines serving Manila. GMR/Megawide plans to work with the local government to develop surrounding facilities to meet traffic forecast and growth of passengers and cargo, including surface access capacity within Mactan and Metro Cebu by having in-town check-in facilities in strategic places in Cebu City.

In all honesty, Mr. Harrison sounded more like the Tourism Secretary in selling Mactan to the rest of the world. He gave us an idea that Mactan was the epicenter for tourism in the Philippines, which is accessible by an hour’s flight from Palawan, Boracay, Camarines Sur and Bohol. He showed us the various magazines where the Philippines were featured like in 2007 we were the best destination by Conde Nast Magazine. In 2009 Travel and Leisure Magazine featured us as the Best Island in Asia and in 2010 we were the best honeymoon destination by World Travel Fair Magazine.

No doubt, GMR/Megawide did their homework when they bidded and won the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) last year where they paid P14.4 billion for the 25-year lease of Mactan. Mr. Harrison gave us figures of the Cebu Airport growth. In 1996, we only had 1.8 million passengers using Mactan annually. In 2001 that figure remained the same at 1.8 million passengers. In 2010, this figure rose to 4.2 million passengers and in the year 2014 it went up to 6.9 million passengers using Mactan annually.

These are the figures that triggered me to ask for a second runway for Mactan because we were approaching the limit just like the single runway in Kai-Tak International Airport in Hong Kong. But since Hong Kong moved its airport facility to Chep Lap Kok Island, the latest figures for Hong Kong International rose to 18 million passengers annually.

This is where the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) failed miserably to forecast the passenger growth at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Sure, they anticipated this growth by constructing three terminals, but failed in building a parallel runway, which is why airport runway congestion at the NAIA is the best selling point why international airlines should fly instead to Mactan International Airport. Alas, the second runway for MCIA is still awaiting the nod of the DOTC. I dare say that the MCIAA Board should do it. Why should we get the nod of the DOTC when a special law creating the MCIAA was intended to free Mactan from getting permission from Imperial Manila?

While there are many great plans for the future of MCIA, especially the new Terminal 2 which would feature native Cebuano designs and furniture. But while the new terminal is expected to be finished in 2018, Mr. Harrison showed us photos of what they are doing at the present terminal today and the best thing that they ever did was unify security arrangements for both domestic and international passengers.

Go to the new comfort rooms at the Mactan Airport today and it can even outdo the best comfort rooms in our 5-star hotels. If you see a Starbucks Coffee, Mr. Harrison promises more food and retail outlets like the soon-to-open Jollibee. Now there is a new Meeters and Greeters area because Mr. Harrison understands Filipino culture where when a Filipino working abroad returns home… the entire neighborhood goes to the airport to meet their loved ones.

Then there is now a new taxi passenger pick up bay, where you can choose a white or yellow taxi without any discrimination. Soon, SM’s MyBus will also ply the Mactan to SM and SM Seaside City. Actually Mr. Harrison gave a longer presentation, but I just can’t put everything in one column. So call this a taste of what is to come for the Mactan International Airport, which is under the hands of a private company. I was part of the MCIAA Board in the late ’90s when we decided to privatize MCIA. We took the rest that things could go wrong. But so far, under the management of Mr. Harrison of GMR/Megawide, they are on the right track to make Mactan Airport a tourist destination on its own right.

* *