The government plans to enhance air connectivity and mobility, aiming to make the country more connected and globally competitive.
To achieve this goal, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), along with its attached agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority, said it is committed to building new gateways and modernizing existing ones.
The administration has already initiated rehabilitation and modernization projects for various airports, such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Clark International Airport (CRK), and the new Manila International Airport in Bulacan.
Furthermore, improvement projects for airports in Bohol-Panglao, Zamboanga, General Santos, Virac, Puerto Princesa, Ormoc, Calbayog, Dumaguete, Catarman, Butuan, and Camiguin are also underway.
Makati City Representative Luis Campos Jr. has recently announced the updated list of airports that will be receiving new funding under the national government’s 2024 Aviation Transport Infrastructure Program.
According to Campos, Congress has allotted P7.5 billion this year for the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of various airports and navigational facilities, as well as the procurement of equipment.
This spending is meant to modernize and expand the country’s aviation hubs in time for the projected full recovery of global air traffic in 2025.
The list of 22 airports and their corresponding allocations for new infrastructure spending has been itemized in the 2024 General Appropriations Law, with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) receiving P1.64 billion for a new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) System, and Pag-Asa Island Airport receiving P1.5 billion.
Other airports on the list include Kalibo International Airport, Laoag International Airport, and Iloilo International Airport, among others.