Foreign firms interested in Cagayan airport development

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign companies have expressed interest to modernize and provide airport management services to the Cagayan North International Airport (CNIA), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority administrator Raul Lambino said.

In a statement, Lambino said two major Malaysian companies have proposed to provide airport management services needed to operate the CNIA efficiently a few weeks before the airport is scheduled to receive its first overseas commercial aircraft from Macau.

Lambino said CEZA has inked a memorandum of understanding with the two firms, Iris Corp. Bhd and Positive Paragon Sendirian Bhd, to undertake the project.

“The two companies would set up the front-end hardware and equipment, install software as well as work stations and passport and travel card readers and set up, install and commission e-gates, among other things,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lambino said a consortium of local and foreign firms has also submitted an unsolicited proposal for the development of CNIA into a state of the art logistics aviation hub and a one-stop aviation center.

The consortium is composed of the Subic Bay Business Aviation Center, US-based National Standard Finance and Bangkok-based Mahanakon Partners Group. Co. Ltd.

 “This proposed high-tech airport facility will be the first of its kind in the country and will comprise of interdependent projects using state of the art aerospace technology,” Lambino said.

According to Lambino, the CNIA in Lal-lo town in northern Cagayan has already cleared all hurdles required for its acquisition of a full aerodrome certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to begin operating commercial flights for the heavier A320 and B-737 aircraft.

Following the inaugural flight from Macau, Lambino said Cebu Pacific is expected to also launch its Manila-Lal-lo service shortly.

The CNIA cuts the overland travel time to Santa Ana, headquarter of CEZA and host of Port Irene, to only 45 minutes by car, said Lambino, who sees the launch of the new airport as a “pivotal development in our sustained efforts to open CEZA to East Asia and the North and South Pacific.”