Mactan-Cebu International Airport

Mactan-Cebu International Airport
Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Mactan-Cebu
Tugpahanang Pangkalibutanon sa Mactan-Sugbo

Mactan Cebu International Airport.jpg
Exterior of Mactan-Cebu International Airport

IATA: CEBICAO: RPVM
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority
Serves Cebu City
Location Lapu-Lapu City
Elevation AMSL 23 m / 75 ft
Website www.mactan-cebuairport.com.ph
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 3,300 10,827 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Passengers 3,731,500
Aircraft movements 18,138
Metric tonnes of cargo 34,046
Statistics from the Air Transportation Office.[1]

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Mactan-Cebu, Cebuano: Tugpahanang Pangkalibutanon sa Mactan-Sugbo) (IATA: CEBICAO: RPVM) is a major international airport in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is located in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Metro Cebu and is the country's second primary gateway. The airport is managed by the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority.

The airport has a large apron, a single 3,300 meter runway, and a taxiway. The terminal building incorporates both domestic and international wings with a combined capacity for 4.5 million passengers. The airport covers an area of 797 hectares.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a major trade center in the south for both domestic and international traffic. Its traffic is continually increasing and is now serving 602 commercial flights weekly transporting 10,223 passengers daily. Narrow-bodied aircraft such as A319, A320, A321, B737, and wide-bodied aircraft such A300, A330, A340, B777 and B747 have been introduced in international flights to Mactan and in the domestic trunk routes.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport reported recently an average of 161 daily aircraft operations (landings and take-offs). About 54% of the flight operations at Mactan-Cebu International Airport are commercial carriers while the remaining 46% are military aircraft and general aviation operations.

Over the last fifteen (16) years, Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s passenger traffic has grown at an annual average of 21% for International while the domestic grew at an annual average of 5%. Mactan-Cebu International Airport is currently served by fourteen (14) passenger airlines and three (3) cargo airlines.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport is one of the major cargo airports in the Philippines. Air cargo volume in 2007 is 53,472,924 kg. International cargo volume increased at an average growth rate of 47% annually while the domestic cargo grew at an average of 4% per annum.

There was a healthy growth rate of air transport movement for the year 2007, an increase of 31% for international and 8% for domestic compared the other year.

A total of 3,731,500 domestic and international passengers passed through the airport back in 2007, marking an increase of 22% compared to the passenger throughput back in 2006.

For the year 2007 cargo volume rose by 8% for domestic and an increase of 2% for international compared last year.

Contents

Future Plans

Plans have been drawn for the expansion of the existing terminal building and the construction of two more boarding bridges or jetways to complement the existing four. A new cargo terminal has also been proposed.

On August 20, 2008, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) announced that about P300 million will be spent for the terminal expansion program to address the increasing volume of passenger traffic. MCIAA general manager Danilo Augusto Francia said the program also includes the establishment of a second passenger terminal in the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.[2]

Destinations with service from Cebu.

History

The airport opened in the mid-1960s. It was built to replace the Lahug Airport, which could no longer be expanded due to safety and physical problems. The airport was then expanded in its later years to become the current Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA). The airport is currently the second busiest in the country after Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport and serves as the country's primary alternative gateway.

The airport is currently in the process of building an administrative building. The construction is currently stalled due to irregularities in the deal but it is expected to continue soon. The idea behind the building is to free up space in the airport terminal so that the airport can expand passenger facilities without necessarily expanding the size of the airport. Currently, all airport offices are located inside the Main Terminal.

A VIP Lounge for the ASEAN Summit held in Cebu in 2007. The airport lounge now serves as the primary welcome area for VIP's visiting Cebu.

Recently, it played host to the arrival and departure rites for the Royal Couple of Swaziland.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines operating in Mactan-Cebu International Airport (as of December 2008)
Airlines Destinations Terminal
Air Philippines Davao, Iloilo Domestic
Asiana Airlines Seoul-Incheon International
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International
Cebu Pacific (Domestic) Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato [begins January 10][3], Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete [begins January 12][3], General Santos, Iloilo, Legazpi [begins January 10][3], Malay, Manila, Manila-Clark, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Siargao [begins January 12][3], Surigao, Tacloban, Zamboanga Domestic
Cebu Pacific (International) Busan, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore International
China Airlines Taipei-Taoyuan International
Korean Air Seoul-Incheon International
Malaysia Airlines Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur International
PAL Express Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, General Santos, Malay, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Zamboanga Domestic
Philippine Airlines (Domestic) Manila Domestic
Philippine Airlines (International) Osaka-Kansai, Seoul-Incheon, Tokyo-Narita International
Qatar Airways Doha International
SilkAir1 Singapore International
South East Asian Airlines Malay [seasonal], Mambajao [seasonal] Domestic
Zest Airways Davao [begins December 20], Iloilo [begins December 20], Malay, Manila [begins December 19], Surigao [begins December 19], Zamboanga [begins December 20] Domestic
Notes

Cargo airlines

Incidents/Accidents

On December 11, 1994, Philippine Airlines Flight 434 was flying on its second leg of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Mactan-Cebu International Airport - New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport) route when a bomb on board exploded, killing a passenger. The airliner was able to make an emergency landing. Authorities later found out that Ramzi Yousef planted the bomb on the airliner to test the bomb for his Project Bojinka plot. His project was discovered in Manila after an apartment fire on the night of January 5 and the morning of January 6, 1995.

Ramzi Yousef was on board Flight 434 from Manila when he planted the bomb beneath a vacant seat. He used a fake identity thus he was able to pass through security in Manila. Yousef set the time for the bomb to blow off when the airline is already in its Cebu-Tokyo leg. Yousef got off the plane during the stopover in Cebu from Manila.

References

  1. PASSENGER MOVEMENT CY 2001-2005, Air Transportation Office, retrieved July 8, 2007
  2. Mactan-Cebu airport to set aside P300-M for expansion
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Cebu Pacific announces new services from Cebu", Cebu Pacific (2008-12-04). Retrieved on 2008-12-04. 

External links