Built at a cost of P4.9 billion, the new airport is expected to be completed in May but the Air Transportation Office (ATO) has asked for at least three more months to finalize the necessary pre-opening requirements.
"There are still certain things that need to be done before the new airport can be fully operational. But at the most, it could (open) in August," DOTC Assistant Secretary Robert Castañares.
Local officials led by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and business leaders have been relentlessly urging the DOTC to immediately complete the project.
Construction of the Davao airport, designed to be the most modern airport in Mindanao, was ordered as a priority project in 1992 by then President Fidel Ramos but actual construction started only in 1999 during the administration of former President Joseph Estrada.
Problems on fund sourcing, land acquisition and supposed defects in the passenger terminal building caused the long delay in the completion of the project.
The new airport, located just across the existing airport, boasts of new navigational aids and communication and meteorological devices, making it at par with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and the Mactan International Airport in Cebu. — Edith Regalado