The Department of Transportation said Friday it expects more domestic and foreign tourists to visit Ilocos Region following the expansion and improvement of the Laoag International Airport in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the improved Laoag International Airport would enhance the region’s connectivity and mobility and boost economic growth, tourism, and socio-economic opportunities.
He said the airport is now ready to accommodate at least 200 international passengers and 240 domestic passengers or more than double from the previous 140 combined passengers of the domestic and international areas of the airport.
The completed project included the construction of the powerhouse, expansion, and improvement of passenger terminal building, expansion of apron, and the rehabilitation of the airport runway.
The agency also expects to complete within the year the asphalt overlay of the runway and site acquisition for further expansion.
Tugade, together with Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines director-general Jim Sydiongco, inaugurated the new CAAP admin building at the Laoag International Airport.
The CAAP admin building development project is another aviation initiative that was completed in December 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tugade emphasized the importance of completing the project for the airport personnel, the agency’s clients, and for the operations of the Laoag International Airport.
The DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) also formally turned over 23 modernized PUJs for the Laoag-Bacarra-Pasuquin Transport Group Inc. (LBPTGI) in Laoag.
Tugade expressed his admiration to the transport group for binding together into one cooperative to ensure quality transport service to Filipinos and their families.
“You have shown that LBPTGI can be with us as a nation in making sure that public transportation is not only safe and comfortable but more importantly reasonable,” Tugade said.