MCIA expects passenger traffic to surge by 2018

CEBU, Philippines - The Mactan Cebu International Airport expects passenger traffic to surge as soon as Terminal 2 is completed.

The management of Mactan-Cebu International Airport, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), aims to open new routes connecting Cebu to Australia, Europe and more ASEAN countries within the next two years.

Slated to open by June 2018, Terminal 2 will increase the airport’s passenger capacity to 12.5 million.

GMCAC president Louie Ferrer said that aside from these targeted routes, the privately-managed airport is also eyeing to expand connections to China, Japan and South Korea.          

"By pursuing new and diverse routes and increasing travel and tourism to the Visayas-Mindanao regions, we are ensuring long term sustainability and economic and social benefits for the passengers and the businesses,” said Ferrer.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport is targeting to hit 10 million passenger arrivals by the end of 2017, or a 12 percent increase from 2016 arrivals.

GMCAC and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), the GOCC supervising the air-side operations, are both actively marketing the airport as a gateway to southern Philippines.

"The robust growth in the number of flights and passengers to MCIA is indicative of the national and global acceptance of Cebu as a world-class destination,” said MCIAA general manager Steve Dicdican.

MCIAA offers incentives to encourage international and domestic airlines to launch new routes from the Mactan-Cebu airport to any point of the world.

GMCAC recently disclosed that the country’s second busiest gateway logged a total of 8.9 million, with 6.7 million domestic passengers and 2.2 million international. 2016 grew 12 percent from the previous year, with 2015 passenger arrivals registering a total of 7.98 million with 5.91 million domestic passengers and 2.07 international passengers.

"With a total of 16 international destinations, 27 domestic destinations and with 19 partner airline carriers, it shows that Cebu is no longer just a secondary airport. It is a viable choice connecting to the rest of the Philippines and to the world,” added Ferrer.

Just last year, five new international destinations and three domestic destinations were launched out of MCIA.

The new international routes include: Cebu-Los Angeles (PAL); Cebu-Xiamen (Xiamen Air); Cebu-Dubai (Emirates); Cebu-Chengdu (China Eastern Airlines and PAL); Cebu-Hangzhou (Ais Asia); Cebu-Wuhan (China Eastern Airlines); and Cebu-Daegu (T’Way Air). Meanwhile, new domestic routes were launched from Cebu to Ormoc, Calbayog and Roxas by Cebu Pacific.

Sustained growth in the travel market also saw airline companies adding new flights to existing routes like Cebu-Taipei (Eva Air); Cebu-Pusan (Air Busan); Cebu-Kuala Lumpur, Cebu- Taipei, and Cebu Singapore by Air Asia; Cebu-Caticlan and Cebu-Singapore by PAL; and Cebu- Narita by Vanilla Air. (FREEMAN)