San Miguel’s Bulacan airport to open in 2027, says DOTr

An artist’s concept shows what the new Bulacan airport and its environs will look like once completed. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Land development work for San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) Bulacan airport is expected to be completed in about two years, which will then be followed by the actual construction of the new international aviation gateway, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

On Wednesday, the DOTr told the reporters that land development for the P735-billion New Manila International Airport stood at 42-percent completion. It is targeted to be finished by December 2024.

The process involves clearing, digging, dredging, excavating and filling of land or sand, among others, in preparation for civil works.

“Actual construction will commence right after that, with target construction completion in 2027 which is the target start of airport operations,” the government agency said.

The works on the airport project situated 35 kilometers north of Metro Manila began in 2019 following the signing of the 50-year concession agreement between the DOTr and SMC.

Under the deal, SMC is responsible for the financing, design, construction, supply, completion, testing, commissioning and operation and maintenance of the airport.

The airport project has a design capacity of up to 100 million passengers annually, which will decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the country’s current main aviation gateway.

Other projects

In Cavite, the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA), another gateway that can reduce Naia passenger load, is also slated to start construction next year. The consortium seeks to provide an annual capacity of up to 75 million passengers per year.

The contract to build the $11-billion infrastructure project was awarded to the Virata-Yuchengco-led SPIA Development Consortium in September.

The Yuchengco Group and Virata family’s Cavitex Holdings Inc. are joined by Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp. as a non-equity member providing management and technical services for aviation support.

The foreign partners of the SPIA consortium are Munich Airport International Airport GmbH, which is Europe’s only five-star airport, and Samsung C&T Corp., the company that built the Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport and the extension of Changi Airport.

Last month, the DOTr said they were aiming to complete P1-trillion worth of regional airport projects by next year. These projects include the construction and enhancement of Tuguegarao Airport, San Vicente Airport, Tacloban Airport, Antique Airport, Bacolod-Silay Airport, Catbalogan Airport, Davao International Airport, M’Lang Airport, Sanga-Sanga Airport and Ozamis Airport. INQ