October opening for New Bohol Int’l Airport

MANILA, Philippines — The New Bohol (Panglao) International Airport, dubbed as the country’s first eco-airport, is all set to open in October after facing several delays, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

The DOTr said the airport is 92 percent complete as of end July and is on track for inauguration in October this year.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said the August target start of commercial operations of the airport was moved because of inclement weather and some details being finalized with airlines.

The airport is designed to accommodate two million passengers, more than double the capacity of the Tagbilaran airport.

The passenger terminal building has an area of 13,884 square meters and is equipped with three boarding bridges and a baggage handling system.

The apron, meanwhile,  is designed to accommodate seven aircraft at a time, including large aircraft for international flights.

According to the DOTr, the Panglao airport will be the country’s first eco-airport, as it would hold the highest standards of green and sustainable structures.

The airport will primarily use natural ventilation, while solar panels will be installed on the passenger terminal building roof to cover around one-third of the building’s energy requirement.

“Everyone should be excited about Panglao airport. This is the kind of airport that we should be building, an airport that has regard for the environment and the future generations,” Tugade said.

The DOTr said the original target schedule of completion of the Panglao airport was 2021. 

The airport’s construction started in June 2015, but accumulated up to 48 percent of slippage due to delays.

“We needed a catch-up plan for the Panglao airport. The 2021 target is just too long. How can you explain to the people that it took you six years to build an airport? We needed to catch-up, and that is what we did,” Tugade said.

Tugade said he ordered for a 24/7 construction schedule to fast-track completion of the airport which will soon provide tourists direct access to the island paradise of Panglao in Bohol.