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EspañolILOILO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
'Iloilo International Airport' (Filipino: ''Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Iloilo'') is an international airport designed to serve the general area of Iloilo City, the capital city of the province of Iloilo in the Philippines, as well as the regional center of the Western Visayas region, or Region VI. The airport is a replacement for the old Mandurriao Airport located in Iloilo City proper and opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007. With the closure of Mandurriao Airport, Iloilo International Airport inherited its IATA and ICAO airport codes from the former, as well as its position as the fourth-busiest airport in the Philippines.
The airport is located nineteen kilometers northwest of Iloilo City on a 188-hectare site between the municipalities of Cabatuan and Santa Barbara,[1] with the main entrance and airport access road in Santa Barbara and the rest of the airport infrastructure in Cabatuan. It is only one of two international airports in the Visayas, the other being Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu City, the first international airport in Western Visayas, and the first international airport built on the island of Panay.
History
Planning for the Iloilo International Airport project commenced in 1998, during the administration of Joseph Estrada. In November 1998, Estrada signed an executive order that created the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, headed by Iloilo-born senator Franklin Drilon, one of the chief architects and supporters of the project.[2]
The Iloilo International Airport project was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on January 25, 2004 in Cabatuan, the primary site of the airport.1 The airport project was to be funded with a 6.2-billion peso loan as part of a loan package provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.1 It was decided that a new airport was needed for Iloilo City after it was found that Mandurriao Airport was unexpandable due to operational obstacles and the presence of structures that prohibited its expansion, such as slum areas and other natural and civic structures.1
The selection of Cabatuan and Santa Barbara as the locations for the airport complex was done in a study performed by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).1
Physical construction work on the new airport started on April 14, 2004.[3] The original expected deadline of completion was June 2007,[4] although the expected deadline was moved to the first quarter of 2007. The Taisei Shimizu Joint Venture company was the contractor for the project,4 with Phil-Japan Airport Consultants, Inc. managing the project and serving as the government's consultant to the project.[5] The project was 75 percent complete as of July 14, 2006,5 and was completed in March of 2007,[6] ahead of schedule but over budget, with a final cost of around nine billion pesos.[7]
Name
During the course of the airport's construction, the airport was called the ''New Iloilo Airport Development Project'', or NIADP. During the airport's construction, there were three main contenders for the airport's name upon completion:
★ ''Iloilo International Airport'', the original name of the airport which has the support of the Iloilo provincial government and the Iloilo city government[8]
★ ''Panay International Airport'', proposed by the President and supported by the Regional Development Council for Western Visayas (RDC) led by Antique governor Salvacion Perez,[9][10] but opposed by the Iloilo city and provincial governments,8 the mayor of Cabatuan,[11] and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.[12] The proposal has since been dropped due to the intense opposition.[13]
★ ''Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport'', proposed by the Dr. Graciano Lopez-Jaena Foundation with the support of the RDC and Antique governor Perez, who is also a member of the foundation.13 The name has been endorsed by the National Historical Institute.[14]
Opening dates
The original opening date of Iloilo International Airport was on March 19, 2007, when its inaugural flight would land.[15] This was moved, however, to April 16,[16] but was also cancelled due to the inability of the President to attend due to the hospitalization of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.[17] The new opening date of the airport was also scheduled for sometime in late April,7 although some sources also indicated that the airport will open on May 10, 2007 during a major TEAM Unity rally in Iloilo City that President Arroyo is expected to attend.[18] The final opening date has since been slated for after the 2007 elections,[19] most likely in June.[20] The final opening date was finally set for June 13, 2007,[21] with commercial services commencing on June 14, 2007.[22] Airlines have already transferred their offices to the new airport.21
Inauguration and start of operations
Iloilo International Airport was formally opened on June 13 with the arrival of the presidential aircraft at the new airport at around 9:50 am PST.[23] The inauguration of the new airport also included figures such as Japanese ambassador Ryuchiro Yamazaki and Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza.23
The airport was formally commissioned at 5:00 am PST on June 14, coinciding with the simultaneous decommissioning of Mandurriao Airport.[24] The first commercial flight to land at the new airport was Philippine Airlines Flight 139,[25] an Airbus A320 that departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and landed at 6:20 am PST the same day.25
Operations on the first day of the airport's commercial operation ran smoothly, although a baggage conveyor belt and x-ray machines malfunctioned due to a sudden surge in passengers trying to catch their early morning flights.[26] Tension also marred the airport's first day after baggage porters who worked at the old Mandurriao Airport insisted on working at the new airport.26 The ATO, DOTC and the porters have since agreed to a closed-door conference and later on to refer the problem to DOTC Assistant Secretary Red Kapunan, the person in charge of international airports in the Philippines.26
Airlines
The following airlines serve Iloilo International Airport:
★ Air Philippines (Cebu, Manila)
★ Cebu Pacific (Cebu, Manila)
★ Philippine Airlines (Manila)
As of the moment, no airline has expressed interest in starting international routes to and from Iloilo City. The ATO believes that international flights out of and to the airport might not begin until 2008.[27] However, the DOTC is said to be planning international cargo flights out of the airport as sixty percent of Philippine seafood exports come from Panay.[28] International passenger flights could commence once Iloilo International Airport passes ICAO standards.28
Structure
Runway
Iloilo International Airport has one primary 2,500 meter (8,203 feet) runway with a width of 45 meters (148 feet).7 It runs at 02°/20°, the same as Mandurriao Airport. Unlike the runway at Mandurriao, however, the longer runway at Iloilo International Airport can support aircraft as large as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A330. Runway lights and an Instrument Landing System have also been installed, making the airport capable of supporting landings during low visibility and at night.
Terminals
The airport has a 12,000-square meter main passenger terminal designed to handle around 1.2 million passengers annually.[29] It is divided into three levels: arrivals and baggage claim on the first floor, check-in on the second floor and departures on the third floor.7 The pre-departure area at Iloilo International Airport can handle 436 passengers at any given time.30
The terminal has three jetways hanging above a 48,000-square meter apron,7 making Iloilo International Airport capable of supporting up to six aircraft simultaneously. When fully retracted, the jetways expand to a length of 35 meters.30
The main terminal is equipped with six x-ray machines,[30] as well as escalators and staircases for departing and arriving passengers' use.[31] There are also two elevators,31 one for very important persons and one for disabled passengers.31 Two pocket gardens have been installed at the terminal,[32] one each for both the departure and arrival halls. The building also features ten modern check-in counters with LCD monitors.30 The terminal makes extensive use of natural lighting, making the airport very energy efficient.
Other amenities available to passengers include a special smoking room,30 a VIP lounge,30 a Mabuhay Lounge for Philippine Airlines business class passengers and counters for hotel and car rental bookings,30 as well as areas for airport stores and payphones.30
Iloilo International Airport also has a 1,281-square meter cargo terminal,8 designed to handle around 11,200 tons of cargo annually.29
Other structures
Iloilo International Airport has a modern 35-meter tall control tower equipped with air navigation equipment and radar systems in place.7 The airport also has maintenance buildings with complete equipment and a fire station equipped with three fire trucks,31 as well as an administrative building.7 There is also a 415-slot parking lot for passengers and employees, as well as airport visitors.31
The airport has a power back-up system and a power generating station, enabling the airport to run even in the event of a power outage,31 which are common in Panay.[33] The system enables the return of electric power to Iloilo International Airport within three seconds.31
The airport also has water treatment facilities and a six-hectare man-made pond that will be used for flood control and drainage purposes,32 as well as for the irrigation of nearby farmland.5
Access and transportation
Rail
A train linking Iloilo International Airport to Iloilo City proper, similar to the Airport Express in Hong Kong and similar systems in other cities, is being studied.[34]
Road
Iloilo International Airport is accessible by land via a three-kilometer long, thirty-meter wide access road linking the airport complex with the municipality of Santa Barbara.7 The access road is wide enough to be able to accommodate four lanes of traffic. The estimated travel time to the airport from Iloilo City proper is around thirty minutes.
Public transportation
Although public transport routes to and from the airport are being studied, no franchises for transport services to and from the airport have been granted as of yet by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).[35] Some transport operators, however, are showing interest in starting shuttle services to the airport from Iloilo City,35 while others have drawn proposals for public transport routes from Iloilo City directly to the airport. 35 A shuttle service is currently available to the airport from Iloilo City, with pick-up and drop-off points at SM City Iloilo and Jaro Plaza.37
Taxi service is available to the airport from Iloilo City proper, with the average markup fare from Jaro Plaza in downtown Iloilo City around 163 pesos.[36] Taxi operators though have filed a petition with the LTFRB to increase airport rates by 150 pesos, a move opposed by Governor Tupas as the move would make taxi fares to the airport the most expensive out of any route going to an airport in the Philippines,36 as well as hurt the tourism industry.36
Iloilo International Airport is also accessible via jeepney to Santa Barbara town proper, after which travelers may take a share taxi to the airport.[37] Travelers may also take jeepneys en route to Cabatuan, Calinog or Janiuay, all of which stop at Santa Barbara.37
References
1. GMA visits Iloilo, inaugurates development projects, Office of the Press Secretary, January 24, 2004
2. P5.5M set for new airports in region, Sun.Star Iloilo, October 10, 2006
3. Drilon: New Iloilo airport is graft-free, The Daily Guardian, September 30, 2006
4. Contractor assures airport project still within timetable, The News Today, April 26, 2006
5. New Iloilo Airport Dev't Project 75% completed, Sun.Star Iloilo, July 14, 2006
6. GMA leads Team Unity Iloilo sortie on Thursday, Panay News, May 7, 2007
7. New Iloilo int’l airport to open this month, Philippine Star, April 18, 2007
8. Airport name game: It should be Iloilo, not Panay, insist city, prov’l officials, Panay News, August 7, 2006
9. Iloilo officials slam plan to change name of Iloilo airport , The Daily Guardian, August 7, 2006
10. Provincial Board lambastes council for airport name proposal, Sun.Star Iloilo, August 9, 2006
11. Cabatuan exec joins call to retain airport's name, Sun.Star Iloilo, August 10, 2006
12. Gonzalez opposed plans to rename the new Iloilo airport in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara area to Panay International Airport, The Daily Guardian, August 11, 2006
13. New airport as the Lopez Jaena airport?, Sun.Star Iloilo, February 9, 2007
14. What’s the official name of the new Iloilo airport?, Panay News, May 28, 2007
15. Drilon satisfied with New Iloilo Airport, Sun.Star Iloilo, October 3, 2006
16. PGMA to grace opening of new Iloilo airport, The News Today, April 12, 2007
17. PGMA's Iloilo visit canceled, The News Today, April 13, 2007
18. Major Ongoing Infrastructure Projects in Iloilo - April 2007, Explore Iloilo, retrieved April 28, 2007
19. Iloilo Airport inauguration slated after May polls, Philippine News Agency, May 3, 2007
20. Iloilo airport opens in June, Manila Standard Today, May 14, 2007
21. New Iloilo Airport to open June 13 after a month’s delay, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 3, 2007
22. Arroyo to inaugurate new Iloilo airport on June 13, GMA News and Public Affairs, June 7, 2007
23. Arroyo's Plane Makes Historic Landing At New Iloilo Airport, Philippine News Agency, June 13, 2007
24. Goodbye Mandurriao, Hello Cabatuan, The News Today, June 13, 2007
25. Philippine Airlines Flies To New Iloilo Airport From June 14, Philippine News Agency, June 8, 2007
26. Not so perfect start for New Iloilo Airport, The Daily Guardian, June 15, 2007
27. No int'l flights in new airport this year: air transpo exec, Sun.Star Iloilo, June 7, 2007
28. Int’l flights possible in NIA, The Daily Guardian, June 14, 2007
29. Iloilo airport ready to serve anytime – ATO, Philippine Information Agency, May 15, 2007
30. Feature: The new Iloilo Airport in perspective, Philippine Information Agency, June 12, 2007
31. Inagurasyon sang Iloilo Airport Apr 16, GMA Iloilo, April 11, 2007
32. Post #283 of the Iloilo Infrastructure Thread II - Infrastructure and Urban Planning, SkyscraperCity, posted March 13, 2007, retrieved April 26, 2007
33. GMA empowers Iloilo, Office of the Press Secretary, January 24, 2004
34. Train mulled for NIA–Iloilo City route, The Daily Guardian, June 15, 2007
35. Public transport direct to new airport needed, The News Today, April 13, 2007
36. Tupas opposes proposed mark up on taxi fare going to new airport, The News Today, June 5, 2007
37. New Iloilo Airport, Explore Iloilo, retrieved July 25, 2007
See also
★ List of airports in the Philippines
★ Mandurriao Airport
External links
★ IloiloAirport.com -The New Iloilo Airport at Cabatuan, Iloilo
★ Iloilo Onfoot
★ Lingganay: Historic Churches of Iloilo
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