DoT making the archipelago more accessible by air travel

The Department of Tourism in coordination with the DoTC has fast-tracked the construction of new airports and the upgrading of existing gateways across the country, in a bid to make the islands more accessible, attract more investments to the regions and to further boost international and domestic travel.

New airports are being constructed in Loakan and Bagabag in Cordillera, San Fernando, La Union, and in El Nido, Palawan. Meanwhile, upgrading and expansion work are being done in airports in Vigan, Busuanga as well as the international airports in Clark, Laoag, and Palawan.

Other airports scheduled for construction and upgrading are the Regional International Airport in Daraga City in Albay; Caticlan Airport in Aklan; the new Iloilo Airport; Silay Airport in Bacolod; Bohol’s Panglao and Tagbilaran airports; Tacloban’s Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport; the new Zamboanga International Airport; Iligan’s Baloi Airport, as well as those in Dipolog and Pagadian.

Next in line are the airports in Laguindingan, Cotabato, Siargao, Butuan, and the Sanga-Sanga Airport in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The DoT together with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) are prioritizing this joint program which when completed will make the country more competitive globally and propel it to greater heights of development and prosperity.

"The enhanced efforts of the DoT and the DoTC to attract more local and foreign tourists would ultimately translate to national economic growth, as more tourists mean more jobs and livelihood opportunities for all," Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said.

Tourists and investors bound for Baguio, Banaue, Sagada and other destinations in the Cordillera region will have an option to skip the 8-12-hour land trip and reach these places in an hour via plane as soon as construction work on the runway and terminal facilities at the Loakan and Bagabag Airports are completed.

Durano said shortened travel time, increase in visitors and economic development can also be expected in the provinces of Abra, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos, and Pangasinan upon completion of the Laoag International Airport upgrading work, construction of Vigan Airport runway extension, and with the opening of a new airport in San Fernando, La Union.

According to Durano, another international gateway that is fast attracting investments for Luzon, is the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga. The DMIA terminal currently serves an average of 800,000 passengers a year. This number is expected to surge to 1.5 million in the next five years when expansion work of its passenger terminal is done.

The tourism chief also reported a plan to upgrade the Palawan International Airport to international standards, after improvements in the existing Busuanga Airport and the construction of the El Nido Airport are completed.