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Mactan-Cebu International Airport inaugurated on January 30 its P2.55-billion second runway
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The 2.56-kilometer airstrip—parallel to the first runway—is designed to meet increasing air traffic demand and accommodate passenger and cargo volumes
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By 2028, the parallel runway will be used simultaneously with the original runway, according to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
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The inauguration comes “at a very important moment as critical repairs on the airport’s first runway are expected to start this May, he said
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) inaugurated on January 30 its P2.55-billion second runway.
The 2.56-kilometer airstrip—parallel to the first runway—is designed to meet increasing air traffic demand and accommodate passenger and cargo volumes, ensuring uninterrupted airport operations during emergencies, maintenance and runway closures, according to airport regulator Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).
By 2028, the second runway will be used simultaneously with the original runway, “ensuring greater efficiency and capacity to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving and growing aviation industry,” according to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. who led the inauguration rites.
Once both runways are operational, one can be used for take-offs and the other for landings.
With two runways running full-time, the airport will have the capacity to cater up to 18 million passengers a year.
MCIAA general manager Julius Neri, Jr. said the new airstrip is “in the process of being commissioned… and will be operational very soon.”
Marcos said the inauguration comes “at a very important moment” as critical repairs on the airport’s first runway are expected to start this May.
“For the first time in our nation’s aviation history, we embark on a major repair of an airport’s first runway without impeding ongoing operations,” he said.
Last year, Marcos said the Cebu gateway catered to 8.5 million domestic passengers, 2.8 million international passengers, around 67 million kilograms of cargo, and 99,100 flights.
READ: Mactan-Cebu air cargo volume soared 18.57% in Jan-Oct 2024
Aside from MCIAA, Marcos said the government has allocated P7.7 billion under this year’s budget for its aviation infrastructure program for the upgrade of 15 airports nationwide.
“Through this program, we can construct, rehabilitate, and enhance runways, taxiways, ramps, control towers, passenger terminals, while at the same time acquiring state-of-the-art navigational equipment,” Marcos said.
He also noted several airport public-private partnership projects, such as the Bohol-Panglao International Airport and Laguindingan International Airport projects, the concession agreements of which were signed last year. Both projects were won by Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC).
AIC in October 2024 officially assumed full ownership of Aboitiz GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the developer and operator of MCIA, after acquiring the stocks of partners Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Airports International B.V.
