The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) on Monday said the ongoing construction of the airport of Bantayan Island, the northernmost tourist destination off the Cebu mainland, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“We plan to finish everything by November, so we can have a December inauguration,” MCIAA general manager and CEO Steve Dicdican said.

He said that by the end of the year, the Bantayan Island Airport will be fully completed, and the 1.2-kilometer runway will be ready for full utilization by December 2020.

Dicdican paid a visit to the airport site last Aug. 7 to inspect the status of the ongoing construction.

The airport is currently undertaking extension and completion of the partially concreted runway and putting up of perimeter fence.

“The entire length of the runway is almost fully excavated except for patches of areas with hard rock. One of the segments is completely concreted already. The two other segments will be completed in two months’ time,” Dicdican said.

In September 2019, the MCIAA and the Cebu provincial government had signed a memorandum of agreement to develop the airport into a commercial air hub.

The Bantayan Airport, which sits in a 29-hectare province-owned property in Sta. Fe town is presently classified as a community airport, catering to only chartered flights.

The MCIAA has continued improvements in the airport to meet the standards of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) including its PHP94.4 million project for the lengthening and paving of the runway and over PHP3 million ongoing project to improve its terminal.

The project is adding another 300 meters to the existing 900-meter runway of the airport. (PNA)