2 new runways to be constructed at Mactan–Cebu airport

MANILA, Philippines — Two additional runways are being planned to be constructed at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to support air traffic growth at the gateway.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) general manager Steve Dicdican said preparations are ongoing for the construction of an additional runway to be used during cases of emergency or when the main runway is unusable, such as during aircraft accidents or maintenance work.

Dicdican said there is a need to ensure that MCIA’s operations would not be disrupted given the volume of air traffic the airport has and its impact on the community and economy.

“In the past, we have often experienced closures of our single runway due to repair, maintenance, inspections, or aircraft accidents. We want to avoid these kinds of operational disruptions and inconvenience to our passengers in the future, and that is why we are eager to construct this additional runway,” he said.

Dicdican said construction of the additional runway for emergencies is timely as the average hourly traffic at MCIA is projected to increase to 43 air traffic movements by 2032.

Aside from the additional runway, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the private company managing the terminal operations and other related areas of the MCIA, has also proposed to build a parallel runway which will increase airside capacities of the airport in the future.

The parallel runway is part of GMCAC’s proposed 50-year masterplan for the airport, which has been granted original proponent status by the MCIAA and is now awaiting NEDA’s approval.

“The GMR-Megawide proposal includes the fully independent parallel runway, which is to be located in the current MEPZ area. Our runway project complements their proposal,” Dicdican said.

The additional runway project of MCIAA is expected to be completed by 2022, while the independent runway proposed by GMCAC is expected to be completed by 2032.

“We need both projects. We need the proposed independent runway if we are to have a complete solution to the runway congestion that have plagued busy airports. However, we do not want to wait until 2032 or until our single runway’s capacity threshold is reached before we do something to protect and improve our runway operations,” Dicdican said.

According to Dicdican, Cebu is growing at a rapid pace, and MCIA as the main gateway, should prepare for such growth.