Philippines’ Maasin Airport inaugurates new passenger terminal

Maasin Airport in the Philippines has inaugurated the new passenger terminal in a bid to accommodate commercial flights and to comply with the international aviation norms for operational safety and efficiency.

Maasin Airport, which is the only airport serving the province, is owned and operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

With the opening of the new terminal, the airport’s capacity to handle the passengers has increased to 150 per day from the existing capacity of managing just 50 travellers.

Constructed with an investment of PHP25m ($46,792.83), the new terminal building can handle about 100,000 passengers per annum, abs-cbn.com reported.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that the new terminal is expected to enhance Maasin City’s economic accessibility.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) noted that the new passenger terminal will upgrade the airport from a community airport to a standard Principal Class 2 airport so that it can meet increasing air transport demands.

Plans are also in place to increase the length of the runway to handle the bigger aircraft.

The runway’s length is expected to be increased from the existing 1.3km to 1.8km. Currently, the short runway means that only aircraft with 15 seats or less can land at the airport.

Furthermore, the DOTr added that Maasin Airport acted as a backup entry point for relief goods and medicine deliveries after the Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the region in 2013.

Tugade, DOTr undersecretaries, Governor Damian Mercado and Vice-Governor Christopherson Yap attended the inauguration ceremony.

Construction on the terminal building started in 2015.