MCIA named among region’s best airport

MANILA, Philippines — The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) has been named as one of Asia’s best international gateways, joining Korea’s Incheon International Airport and Malaysia’s Senai International Airport.

MCIA private developer GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) said the airport was awarded Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year by the CAPA–Center for Aviation.

MCIA was selected among airports with over 10 million annual passengers for “having been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.”

Incheon International Airport was named as Asia Pacific Large Airport of the Year, while Senai International Airport was chosen as Asia Pacific Small Airport of the Year.

“MCIA’s positioning remains true to its destination. While most other airports choose modern structures made of glass and steel structures, we stayed true to our island resort identity, with Cebu being one of the world’s favorite resort destinations,” GMCAC president Louie Ferrer said.

According to GMCAC, this is the second time that the MCIA was recognized by CAPA in the last four years. In 2016, MCIA was named Asia Pacific Small Airport of the Year, just two years after the company assumed landside operations under a 25-year public-private partnership agreement.

“The progress of MCIA can really be attributed to the partnership that the airport has cultivated with its community. By focusing on strategic airline and destination marketing initiatives, and collaborating closely with stakeholders in government and the private sector, we have been able to increase Cebu’s connectivity and passenger traffic significantly,” Ferrer
said.

“The opening of the new international terminal follows a highly successful privatization, positioning the airport for rapid growth and making MCIA a model for other airports in the Philippines and throughout Asia as potential PPP opportunities are evaluated,” MCIA general manager Steve Dicdican added.

In the nine months ending September, MCIA accommodated 8.6 million passengers compared with 7.5 million in the same period last year as a result of aggressive airline marketing efforts to increase domestic and international flights in and out of Cebu.

Domestic passengers continue to account for the bulk of the total at 66 percent, while international passengers accounted for 34 percent.

GMCAC earlier announced that it had opened 15 new routes this year, 12 of which are from China.

Currently, MCIA is connected to 33 domestic destinations and 22 international destinations, with nine domestic airline partners and 24 international airline partners.