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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DOTr: San Miguel to break ground on new Boracay airport terminal, eyeing 2027

DOTr: San Miguel to break ground on new Boracay airport terminal, eyeing 2027

Published Jun 21, 2025 06:09 pm
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)
The new terminal at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan, the main gateway to the world-famous Boracay Island, is expected to begin accommodating passengers by 2027, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has committed to break ground on the new terminal building either this month or in July.
In November of last year, SMC announced that it had tapped Megawide Construction Corp. to design and build the building.
SMC, through its infrastructure unit’s subsidiary Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp., is overseeing the development of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, also known as Boracay Airport.
The new terminal is expected to have a capacity of seven million passengers annually.
Dizon told reporters last week that the project is a major breakthrough to attract more tourists to the renowned beach destination.
He stated that the airport’s current state could be “one of the reasons why Boracay numbers have gone down.”
Data from the local government showed that Boracay welcomed 2.07 million tourists last year, down by two percent from 2.12 million in 2023.
Apart from Boracay, the DOTr is also looking to modernize regional airports across the country’s main tourist destinations through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
In particular, Dizon cited the need to upgrade the airports in Siargao, Busuanga, Camiguin, and Puerto Princesa.
These airports, he said, demand a longer runway to accommodate bigger jets, which can carry more than 300 passengers.
Regional airports primarily serve turboprop jets, with passenger capacity as low as 70 passengers.
Dizon said the limited capacity is driving up ticket prices to tourist destinations, in some cases making them more expensive than nearby international flights.
“The government has to play that role to build a lot of expensive horizontal infrastructure. Then, the private sector comes in and maybe builds the terminal building and runs it. I think that's pretty much the model,” he explained.
The DOTr chief said he is confident the administration will privatize at least ten more regional airports by 2028 or the end of President Marcos’ term.
He said the project that is in the most advanced stage is the Iloilo International Airport, which has an unsolicited proposal from Villar-led Prime Asset Ventures Inc. (PAVI)
Other regional airports will most likely be up for bidding via bundles, with the DOTr tapping the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to work on the bundling of airports.
Currently, there are seven airports operated by the private sector, with SMC operating the aforementioned Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, the country’s main gateway Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and the under-construction New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.
Other airports include the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Clark International Airport, as well as the Bohol-Panglao and Laguindingan airports.
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