The GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the Filipino-Indian private consortium operating the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), has been commended for its crucial role in developing the aviation industry, six years since it took over the country’s second busiest air hub.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, praised the GMCAC as it celebrates its sixth anniversary this November, citing its “invaluable support in realizing the growth and development of Cebu and the Visayas”.

“Their tireless efforts have resulted in the seamless connections to the rest of the world,” Dino said in a press statement on Tuesday.

By developing MCIA as a strategic gateway, goods and services are brought in and out of Cebu much faster, paving the way for more competitive advantages for Cebu and the rest of the Visayas.

Tourists and businessmen also enjoy hassle-free travel by connecting MCIA to more destinations here in Cebu and other countries.

“These connections bring more opportunities, and with it, more room to expand and deliver progress in the region,” Dino said.

He recalled that MCIA has also won several international awards. These include the 2019 International Architecture Awards (IAA) for Airports and Transportation Centers category in the prestigious World Architecture Festival for Terminal 2, which caters to international passengers and flights.

Dino expressed the Duterte administration’s trust in public-private partnership as GMCAC continues to build on what it has started.

“Again, my warmest greetings to GMCAC and MCIA as it celebrates this significant occasion,” he said.

MCIA is a major gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao, and connects these regions to various major cities around the globe.

The airport was catering to rapidly growing passenger traffic comprising of tourists and business travelers which reached over 12 million passengers as of 2019.

However, the airport saw its overall passenger traffic in the first eight months of 2020 drop by 70 percent to 2.56 million from 8.56 million in the same period last year due to the coronavirus pandemic-induced global travel downturn.

India’s GMR Infrastructure, in partnership with Filipino conglomerate Megawide Construction Corp., is operating and developing MCIA through a 25-year concession with the government. (PNA)

Photo Credit: www.ppp.gov.ph