As Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking for the new passenger terminal building of Caticlan's Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, the Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) has released new details and images of the planned future terminal building.
The groundbreaking ceremony held at Caticlan on July 14 – the main gateway for visitors bound for the resort destination of Boracay – is for the future passenger terminal building with a projected construction cost of around PHP 2.5 billion (~USD $44.14 million).
Travelers bound for Boracay by air are able to use two airports – Caticlan and Kalibo International Airport. Of the two, Caticlan is a 15 minute ride to the port to board ferries and speedboats bound for Boracay located offshore.
Caticlan Airport's current operator – Trans Aire Development Holding Corp. - is a division of San Miguel Corporation. Megawide Construction Corp (MCC/Megawide) secured the contract to design and build the new terminal building in 2024.
The new terminal building will feature two floors with a total floor area of 36,470 square meters. With six boarding bridges and 36 individual check-in counters, it is designed to accommodate 7 million passengers per year.
In 2024, Caticlan Airport was the fourth busiest airport in the Philippines, handling over 3 million passengers.
According to the DOTr, the future terminal building will feature enhanced check-in counters, security screening areas, baggage handling systems, and improved boarding gates to minimize queue and waiting times. Based on the images provided by DOTr, the new terminal will also have immigration and customs facilities to accommodate international arrivals and departures.
“Opening Up the Philippines”
The new passenger terminal building is one of the airport upgrade/construction projects the Philippine government is currently working on to welcome more global investors and tourists.
“To bring the Philippines once again to the top of mind of the rest of the world that this is the place where people can invest, people come to have a vacation, a businessman can come and do business to the benefit of their own interest and of course, of the country,” Marcos said.
In addition to Caticlan Airport, Marcos added similar projects will be launched in other regional airports in the country such as Iloilo, Bohol, and Siargao.
“The idea is to open up the Philippines not necessarily only through Manila but on international flights coming from Europe, coming from Southeast Asia, coming directly to the tourist destinations,” Marcos added.
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