Bacolod-Silay airport opening set Jan. 17

After a string of postponements, the opening of the new P6.2-billion Baco­lod-Silay airport is finally scheduled on Jan. 17, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said.

Mendoza said the finishing touches are now being made on the new airport for its Jan. 17 opening.

Mendoza said the opening of the Bacolod-Silay airport will be one of his department’s latest accomplishments after the opening of the P8.6-billion new Iloilo International Airport last June 13.

The opening of the Bacolod-Silay airport has met constant delays mainly caused by a somewhat belated move to improve McKinley Road, said to be the main access road to the airport from Bacolod.

The new airport is said to boast of a runway length of two kilometers, enabling it to accommodate bigger Airbus A330 planes that can carry more than 300 passengers.

The old airport in Baco­lod was said to be capable of accommodating Airbus A320s that carry only 140 to 160 passengers.

The new airport also has modern air traffic control equipment.

The construction of the Bacolod-Silay airport, like the new Iloilo International Airport, was funded by a special loan package from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The JBIC loan was a tied loan wherein only Japanese contractors were allowed to bid for the airport project.