BCDA allots P500M for La Union airport renovation

The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has invested P500 million for the first phase of the renovation of the San Fernando Airport in Poro Point, La Union.

In a statement, BCDA said the move will fuel commerce and tourism activity in Northern Luzon.

The airport is currently classified as a secondary airport serving as an alternate to the Loakan Airport in Baguio City.

The first phase of the upgrade includes hill removal and leveling, construction of a new control tower, renovation of fire station, fencing, excavation of ditches and channels, overlay of taxiway, and runway widening.

The project is expected to be completed in the first half of next year, said Anthony C. Manguiat, vice president and chief operating officer of Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC), a subsidiary of BCDA. 

“The San Fernando Airport will complement the already existing international seaport, thus making Poro Point an ideal site for commerce and tourism,” Maguiat said.

According to Manguiat, the hill removal and leveling is now 60 percent complete and would extend the runway to 2,100 meters, enabling the airport to accommodate large aircraft like Airbus 320 and Boeing 737. 

Originally, the airport had a runway of 800 meters. It was earlier extended to 1,200 in order to accommodate turboprop aircraft and the C-130 cargo plane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).         

This part of the project is expected to be completed by next month. 

BCDA said its vision for the Poro Point airport is to make it a regional and global gateway to the north, because of its strategic position with the existence of an international seaport in La Union.

In October, passenger traffic at the airport jumped by 30 percent. Asian Spirit flies the Manila-La Union-Manila route three times a week.

Manguiat said they expect passenger as well as cargo traffic to further increase once the airport improvements are completed.