Bicol Int’l Airport nearing completion
AFTER experiencing 11 years of delay, the Bicol International Airport is now nearing completion and will offer state-of-the-art contactless features for effortless passenger experience once it starts commercial operations on Friday, (October 8, 2021), Transportation Secretary Art Tugade said.
Tugade explained that the airport went through three groundbreaking ceremonies but the non-stop construction works only began under the Duterte Administration’s Build, Build, Build Infrastructure Program.
“This is a promise fulfilled to Bicolanos. Despite the challenges and setbacks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, natupad natin na by October tapos na ang Bicol International Airport,” Tugade said during his inspection of the BIA along with Albay Representative Joey Salceda on Sunday, 3 October 2021.
With the iconic Mayon Volcano as its backdrop and touted as the country’s “Most Scenic Gateway”, the BIA has contactless properties that are innovative solutions during the pandemic, making airport travel effortless, safe, and convenient, according to Tugade.
“Pinagdudahan ako rito kaya I took it as a personal challenge,” said Sec. Tugade, adding that the criticisms thrown at him served as his drive to expedite its completion.
Meanwhile, according to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Chief of Staff and Airport Airport Projects Team Head Danjun Lucas, passengers can check-in without any face-to-face interaction as Contactless Common Use Self Service Kiosks are available at the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) Ground Floor Check-in Lobby.
“We tapped the service provider of the Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga to maximize the same high-technology features as the CRK, which is equipped for contactless baggage handling and food ordering system,” Atty. Lucas said.
At present, the passenger terminal building of the Bicol International Airport is 97.28 percent complete.
Once operational, the BIA can accommodate a total of two (2) million passengers annually and is expected to boost Bicol Region’s air traffic.
Tugade stressed that the BIA will serve as a backbone of economic growth in the Bicol Region as it will generate employment and stimulate business, and local and international tourism activities.
