New Davao airport inaugurated today

DAVAO CITY — President Arroyo will lead today’s inauguration of the new P5-billion Davao International Airport.

Transportation and Communications Assistant Secretary Roberto Castañares said actual commercial operations of the new airport will start tomorrow, with a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight being the first.

The new airport, located just across the old one, can accommodate 1.2 million passengers and 84,000 tons of cargo per year.

It will be able to park seven to 10 aircraft at a time and can handle eight to 10 landings per hour.

It has four passenger bridges, 14 domestic and 14 international check-in counters, and parking slots for 688 vehicles and four shuttle buses.

Castañares said the national government would have to initially subsidize a large part of the new airport’s P800-million funding requirements, including repayment of the loan from the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank that financed the construction.

Plans are afoot for increases in the airport terminal fee, cargo rates, landing fees and rentals for commercial spaces to meet the new airport’s operational costs.

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd., a Korean contractor, built the new airport.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the new airport will complement the thrust of the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA) member-countries to open more trade and tourism opportunities in the region.