Senator Loren Legarda has thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for realizing the vision of Antiqueños for an improved airport.

Legarda, in her speech during the inauguration of the Evelio B. Javier Antique Airport on Monday, said the airport development projects, which started in 2014 or 2015, could not have been realized without the support of President Marcos and other national government agencies.

“Thank you to you, Mr. President, for realizing our dream, our vision,” she said.

She said that the airport will not only benefit the people of Antique, but also those from neighboring provinces, who would take their flight at the airport when going to Manila.

She said that the Antique airport is about four hours from the New Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo province, and about six hours from Caticlan Airport. Other passengers will opt to take the nearer Antique airport.

“The project is at the lowest cost of only PHP126 million for the terminal and the tower for only PHP46 million, which could now be a reference or model for other regional and national development,” she said.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the project has a total cost of PHP1.576 billion, including the construction of the passenger terminal building and tower.

The passenger terminal building now spans 2,224 square meters, from the previous 181 square meters, thus increasing the seating capacity from 64 to 360.

The check-in counters increased to six from the previous two.

The airport can now accommodate up to four jet aircraft simultaneously, increasing its operational capacity, and the control tower has been upgraded from three to seven storeys.

Through the runway extension project, the airport will already be capable of accommodating jet aircraft with the runway length extended from 1,430 meters to 1,800 meters.

Modern systems for baggage handling, flight information, and passenger convenience have also been installed. (PNA)