Aboitiz awarded original proponent status for Laguindingan airport

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Airport Authority (CAAP) has granted Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. (AIC) Original Proponent Status (OPS) for its unsolicited proposal for the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.

In a statement released Monday, the infrastructure business unit of the Aboitiz Group announced it was granted OPS last Feb. 26 for the Laguindingan Airport.

The P42.7-billion project involves capacity augmentation through expansion or construction of new passenger terminals, installation of required equipment, and enhancement and development of airside facilities.

“The granting of the OPS for the Laguindingan Airport opens up an opportunity for us to play a major role in improving our country’s vital gateways,” AIC Chief Operating Officer Cosette Canilao said in a statement.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries Region 10 Governor Ghaye Alegrio, meanwhile, said the rehabilitation and upgrade of the airport is vital for the growth of investments and development of various industries in the region, particularly tourism.

“It took us 20 years before this airport was built. We don’t want to wait another 20 years for its expansion,” Alegrio said.

Based from the statistics from CAAP, passenger traffic at Laguindingan Airport has been above the airport’s design capacity of 1.6 million passengers per year from the time the airport began operations in 2013.

In 2018, an estimated two million passengers passed through this airport.

Alegrio pointed out that with more investments coming in, traffic is expected to further increase in the coming years, adding that there is a big opportunity to cater to international flights. /je