Aboitiz set to bag Bohol airport deal

The Bohol-Panglao International Airport, or the New Bohol Airport, is set to accommodate two million passengers yearly.

Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. (AIC) is set to add the P4.53-billion Bohol-Panglao International Airport to its growing airport portfolio after no other challenger submitted bid to develop the regional airport.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, during the virtual pre-qualification bids and awards committee meeting this week, said they were working on awarding the contract by Nov. 28.

“Considering that we have not received a comparative proposal for this project, we hereby recommend that we proceed with the next step which is submission of the recommendation to the heads of agencies for the issuance of notice of award to the original proponent,” Batan said.

READ: DOTr steps up development of regional airports

The imminent awarding is set to happen six year after the Aboitiz Group granted the original proponent status (OPS) in 2018 for the unsolicited proposal.

The project underwent Swiss challenge this year, with deadline of other bids set on Nov. 11.

A Swiss challenge is being conducted to invite other proposals that can rival the offer by the holder of OPS which is issued after the implementing agency accepted the proposed project. The OPS is then allowed to match counter offers during the process; if no better offer was filed, the OPS will emerge as the winner.

The airport operations and maintenance are set to be transferred to the winning concessionaire by June next year, according to the Department of Transportation.

The Bohol-Panglao International Airport project seeks to expand the terminal to accommodate 4.9 million passengers annually from the current 2 million. Included in the 30-year contract is the expansion or construction of a new passenger terminal and installation of additional equipment and facilities.

Last month, the P12.75-billion Laguindingan International Airport contract was awarded to the Aboitiz Group.

The Laguindingan airport upgrade project seeks to improve connectivity to northern Mindanao, which includes Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon and Camiguin, among others.

AIC also gained complete ownership of Mactan-Cebu International Airport in October, two years after it entered into a P25-billion share subscription and transfer agreement with airport developers Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Airports International BV.