Philippines Aims to Complete Major Provincial Airport Runway Expansions by 2027

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it hopes to complete runway expansions at major provincial airports by 2027. In a statement on Sunday, the DoTr said it is expediting the rehabilitation of major airports to meet a minimum 2,100-meter runway length standard. "As a policy for our new airports, the minimum runway should be 2,100 meters. This is to accommodate larger aircraft to help lower airfares,” Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said. Mr. Lopez added that the expansion of Busuanga airport’s runway is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2027. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said that the government is also working on the Busuanga airport’s passenger terminal building expansion which will raise seating capacity to 1,500 from the current 300. The DoTr said that it is also working on the expansion of the runway for Siargao airport, which is expected to add about 500-700 meters. It is fast-tracking the completion of Bukidnon Airport, which will be rated to accommodate turboprop aircraft when it opens in December. In February, the DoTr said its runway-upgrade program will enable most Philippine airports to handle workhorse single-aisle jets like the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737. The ability to accommodate regional jets will be extended to all airports with no topographical constraints. The program is being positioned as a means of ultimately lowering air ticket prices as airlines benefit from the scale offered by switching to single-aisle jets from the turboprop aircraft that currently serve smaller airports. — Ashley Erika O. Jose