PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Top officials of the Department of Transportation led by Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines under Director General Capt. Jim C. Sydiongco led the blessing of the new Puerto Princesa International Airport building on Wednesday, a day before the new airport becomes operational.
Korean Embassy officials led by Ambassador Kim Jae-Shin, local officials led by Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Luis Marcaida lll, special guests and aviation stakeholders witnessed the inauguration of the bigger, modern airport complex.
Located at Barangay San Miguel here, the new P4.5-billion airport terminal has a floor area of 13,000 square meters with a seating capacity of 1,500.
It has parking for over 200 cars and a 2,600-meter runway that can accommodate bigger aircraft like the 400-seater Airbus A330 and six parking bays.
Currently, the airport accommodates an average of 20 landings and takeoffs daily from PAL Express (Manila and Cebu), Cebu Pacific (Manila, Cebu Mactan and Iloilo), AirAsia (Manila, Cebu Mactan and Davao), PAL (Manila, Clark and Taipei-Taoyuan) and Air Juan (Busuanga and Cuyo).
The new airport boasts a state-of-the-art air navigation system that complies with international standards, enhancing the airport’s safety operations with an 1,800 kilovolt-ampere (kVA) standby generator set.
Palawan, listed as among the world’s best islands by Conde Nast Traveler magazine, is not only home to pristine white-sand beaches and enthralling diving spots but also to other renowned destinations such as the Puerto Princesa Underground River.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific Air or CEB announced it will begin today its flights in and out of the new International Airport.
“Cebu Pacific shares the joy of the Palaweños in the opening of the newest world-class airport in Puerto Princesa, as this is expected to boost trade and tourism even more in the Palawan region,” said lawyer JR Mantaring, CEB vice president for Corporate Affairs.
Cebu Pacific is the largest carrier operating in and out of Puerto Princesa, with a total of 550 flights to and from the capital of Palawan weekly via three of its major hubs: Manila, Cebu and Iloilo.
In 2016, the airline flew the most number of passengers to and from the city, garnering over 50 percent of the total market share.
“We are positive that with this expansion, we will be able to help achieve the government’s goal of increasing tourist arrivals to Palawan,” said Mantaring.
“With the new airport able to handle international flights, it now makes Puerto Princesa attractive for direct connections to and from key foreign tourist markets. And by offering more seats, CEB will be able to provide even lower fares, allowing more Juans to see the beauty that is Palawan.”