PAL to open int’l flights at new Cebu airport

Airlines (PAL) will operate international flights at the newly constructed Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 starting June 22.

There will be daily flights to Bangkok, Osaka and Seoul; twice daily to Tokyo, once a week to Beijing and Chengdu and thrice a week to Nagoya.

The construction of the MCIA passenger terminal building, which spans 45,000 square meters, was 98.10 percent complete as of May 7.

GMR Megawide, the builder and operator of MCIA T2, said the terminal could accomodate more than 11 million passengers annually.

The facility has seven passenger boarding bridges which can be expanded to 12 for both wide and narrowbody aircraft. It will be connected by a link-bridge to Terminal 1, which will be refurbished for domestic flights.

Ma. Cielo Villaluna, PAL corporate communications chief and spokesperson, said all domestic flights would continue to operate at MCIA Terminal 1.

These are flights to and from Bacolod, Busuanga, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Camiguin, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Surigao and Tacloban.

Villaluna said the management of PAL is in close coordination with officials of GMR Megawide for the orderly transfer of international flights to Terminal 2.

The Department of Transportation had earlier announced that the construction of MCIA T2 is on track for its formal opening next month.