Iloilo airport up for P190 million upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — The Iloilo International Airport will undergo a P190-million facelift to raise its passenger capacity and improve facilities in the gateway.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) yesterday announced that it has received P190 million from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the upgrade of the Iloilo airport.

The CAAP said it would first rehabilitate the airport’s passenger terminal building to scale up capacity for future demand.

The agency said it would renovate the toilets, repaint roofs and walls and waterproof the  roofs.

New air conditioning units, escalators and elevators will be installed to enhance passenger experience, the CAAP said.

A new flight information display system that provides real-time details on the status of trips will also be installed.

The agency will also repair the  airport’s boarding bridges and conveyor belts for ease of transfer.

The CAAP said it would purchase three 600-kilowatt chillers to ensure efficient and reliable temperature control at the passenger terminal building.

After the upgrade, the airport’s passenger terminal building will expand its domestic and international capacities by 84 and 13 percent, respectively.

The CAAP is planning other infrastructure development projects for the airport, including asphalt overlay for the runway as part of efforts to build up the readiness of the international gateway, as well as construction of an apron close to the passenger terminal building.

The Villar-owned Prime Asset Ventures Inc. is proposing a P21.27-billion rehabilitation of the Iloilo International Airport through an operate-add-transfer deal.

Primarily, the proposal aims to build up the capacity of the passenger terminal building.

For the meantime, CAAP director general Raul del Rosario said the agency is looking for ways to enhance provincial airports as they await their handover to private control.