The Center for Asia Pacific (CAPA) Aviation Awards recently named Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) the Asia-Pacific Medium Airport of the Year.
It was chosen amongst airports serving greater than 10 million passengers annually since it was probably the most strategically outstanding, had “established a leadership position” and was “doing probably the most to speed up progress within the aviation industry.”
The domestic resort airport has joined airports in Korea and Malaysia among the many top gateways within the region. Incheon International Airport was named Asia-Pacific Large Airport of the Year, while Senai International Airport in Malaysia was named Asia-Pacific Small Airport of the Year.
According to Louie Ferrer, president of GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), MCIA, the gateway to the central and southern Philippines, is positioning itself “true to its purpose.”
“While most other airports opt for modern glass and steel structures, we have stayed true to our identity as an island resort, and Cebu is one of the world’s favorite resorts.”
This was CAPA’s second MCIA recognition within the last 4 years. In 2016, MCIA Airport was named Asia-Pacific Small Airport of the Year, just two years after private developer GMCAC took over the onshore operations under a 25-year public-private partnership (PPP) agreement.
“MCIA’s progress can truly be attributed to the partnership the airport has established with its community,” he added.
“By focusing on strategic airline and destination marketing initiatives and working closely with government and private sector stakeholders, we were able to significantly increase connectivity and passenger traffic in Cebu.”
Meanwhile, MCIAA CEO Steve Dicdican described the project as a model for a successful airport PPP.
“The opening of the new international terminal follows a very successful privatization that will enable the airport to expand rapidly and make MCIA a model for other airports in the Philippines and across Asia as potential PPP opportunities are assessed,” he noted.
In the primary nine months of this 12 months, MCIA served 8.6 million passengers in comparison with 7.5 million in the identical period last 12 months, driven by aggressive marketing efforts by the airlines to extend the variety of domestic and international flights to and from Cebu.
Domestic passengers still constitute the bulk at 66%, while foreign passengers remain at 34%.
GMCAC previously announced that it had opened 15 recent routes in 2018, including 12 from China.
The company also recorded a rise within the frequency of international flights, which coincided with the opening of the brand new MCIA international terminal (Terminal 2) on July 1, 2018.
Last October, Sichuan Airlines increased its flights to Chongqing from 4 times every week to day by day, while Philippine Airlines increased its flights to Nagoya from 3 to 4 times every week. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific increased its flights to Hong Kong from day by day to 10 times weekly, starting November 26; and flights to Tokyo Narita from 4 times every week to day by day from December 1.
In terms of latest flights, Tiger Taiwan launched 4 weekly flights from Cebu to Taipei on December 2 last 12 months. Cebu Pacific will begin flying from Cebu to Macau 4 times every week on December 7. Meanwhile, Korean low-cost carrier Jeju Air will start flights between Cebu 5 times every week and Muan, South Korea from December 21.
Currently, MCIA offers connections to 33 domestic destinations and 22 international destinations, working with 9 domestic partner airlines and 24 international partner airlines.
