The government plans to extend all regional and provincial runways to a minimum of 2,100 meters to accommodate larger aircraft and reduce domestic airfares for high-demand tourist hubs, Department of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Thursday.
The policy requires all new airports to meet the 2,100-meter minimum, while existing runways falling short of the requirement will be lengthened unless restricted by topographical constraints.
Lopez said the initiative aims to prepare the country’s infrastructure for bigger jet aircraft.
Apart from infrastructure expansion, the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are prioritizing the night-rating of tourist airports.
The program installs lighting systems to allow for night and early morning flights, providing travelers with more scheduling options.
“We are prioritizing our tourist airports. Because when an airport is night-rated, our countrymen can travel at night, early in the morning, and that is what we usually call a red-eye flight and in practice, the fare is cheaper there,” Lopez said.
The push for lower costs follows a request from Lopez last year for Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to reduce one-way fares to Siargao.
Prices for that route had reached P17,500 but were targeted for a reduction to about P11,700, but the lowest available one-way tickets currently sit at P3,908.
As an alternative to air travel, the Philippine Ports Authority constructed a cruise terminal in Siargao. Transportation officials noted that 2GO now operates vessels to the island with fares starting at P3,500.
“The trip is just longer, more or less 28 hours, but at least the ship looks like a cruise vessel,” Lopez said.
The government is also reviewing terminal fees at airports managed by CAAP.
Lopez said the agencies would study the current fee structures and implement reductions where possible to further ease the financial burden on travelers.
