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Saturday, March 30, 2024

Ceza gains flights from China, Macau

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“‹THE Cagayan Economic Zone Authority has announced the start of regular flights to and from Macau and China at the Cagayan North International Airport in Lallo town in Cagayan starting next month.

Ceza outgoing administrator and chief executive officer, secretary Jose Mari Ponce, said CNIA will cater to regular flights to and from Macau and China starting August 23.

He said the airport will cater two international chartered flights a day to and from Macau and China to initially service a locator, Pai Hao Investment Co.

“The flights are in addition to the domestic chartered flights that it has been catering since 2014. It will be hosted by the International Pacific Airways, which will be operating Airbus 320 and/or Boeing 737 and will be carrying tourists and casino players,” Ponce said.

The Cagayan Premium Ventures Development Corp., a company developed through a Joint Venture Agreement between Ceza and a private company, is presently managing the CNIA which was completed in 2014.

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The airport has been granted limited aerodrome certificate, renewable every six months, subject to the conditions set by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

CAAP has also included restrictions on its aerodrome operations, the latest of which was set to Global Express aircraft below Code 3C as among the conditions.

“The Airport is now in the process of fulfilling the requirements set by CAAP, including purchasing and setting equipment for the airport control tower, navigational aids and terminal building, among others,” Ponce said 

He said that upon fulfillment of these requirements, the airport will be able to accommodate bigger aircrafts like Airbus 320, Boeing 737, ATR-72.

“The long-term plan is to establish it as a gateway of Northern Cagayan, Apayao and Ilocos Norte that will provide direct domestic and international flights on a regular basis,” Ponce said.

In addition, the outgoing administrator said the CNIA can be established as an aerotropolis with aviation services like a park and hangar hub, aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul, flying schools and other support system for aviation needs, airport crew and tourism can be offered in the area.

Under Ponce’s administration, the CNIA is considered as one of the significant infrastructure facilities that have been established. The Ceza head will be replaced by lawyer Raul Lambino, who is expected to formally take over on July 24.

“‹For a period of 12 years, Ponce has stimulated the growth of Ceza and introduced new improvements with new locators coming in.

“When we took over Ceza back in 2005, the company was in moribund state, with negative income, heavy government subsidy and dilapidated infrastructures, if any,” Ponce said.

“This once losing entity ready to close has been transformed to a performing, well-regarded government entity in Region II and a highly attractive investment area,” he added.

Now, Ponce said, Ceza generates hundreds of millions of revenues and managed to remit to the national coffers more than a billion pesos of revenue through tax remittance, dividends share, and other direct and indirect government transactions. 

One of Ponce’s accomplishments for the ecozone include freeing CEZA from government subsidy, giving a steady growth of capital investments, employment and stirring local economic activities in the area. 

CEZA also became the pioneer interactive gaming jurisdiction in Asia and internationally recognized as one of the top, reputable interactive gaming jurisdictions in the world.

“I am happy to leave CEZA to a new chief who is considerate of my development plans. I am at ease to know that there will be continuity to what we have worked on in the last decade,” the outgoing administrator said.

“‹CEZA is a government-owned and -controlled corporation created under Republic Act 7922 or the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 to manage the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport and spur economic growth through investment promotions in the area.

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