MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will spend P12.4 billion this year for the upgrade of regional airports to support inter-island connectivity.
CAAP director general Manuel Antonio Tamayo said his agency has secured funding to improve the equipment and facilities of several airports across the Philippines.
Tamayo said CAAP is allocating P10.6 billion for civil works and P1.8 billion for system upgrades, all aimed at enhancing aviation infrastructure in the countryside.
Some of the priority projects to be pursued this year include the night-rating upgrade of airports in Cauayan in Isabela, Dipolog and Pagadian. The project seeks to make it safe for these gateways to operate evening flights, allowing them to keep up with rising demand.
Likewise, CAAP plans to complete the remaining works on the Bukidnon Airport. The target is to operate the airport for general aviation this year, boosting the economic viability of Bukidnon and opening it up for more trade and travel.
Tamayo said CAAP is spending for airport upgrades not just to improve operational capacity, but to ensure passenger safety as well.
“Our thrust is to really make the Philippine skies safe (so as) to avoid accidents and incidents as much as possible,” Tamayo said.
Tamayo said enhancing provincial airports and expanding inter-island connectivity are vital in dispersing economic growth in the regions.
The Department of Transportation also received funding in the 2025 General Appropriations Act to build new airports and rehabilitate existing ones. The agency received the largest amounts for the Tacloban Airport (P2.3 billion) and Pag-asa Island Airport (P1.65 billion).
Given the financial constraints, the government is contracting the operations and maintenance of some of the country’s biggest airports to private groups. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport is now operated by the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC), led by San Miguel Corp.
The airport will undergo a P170.6-billion rehabilitation under NNIC, with the goal of increasing its passenger capacity to 62 million per annum and aircraft movement to 48 an hour.
The Aboitiz Group also now manages three airports in the regions—N Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Laguindingan Airport and Bohol-Panglao International Airport—in line with its pivot to go into aviation.