Manila, July 5 (Engineering Daily) -- Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade announced Monday the expansion of the Maasin City Airport runway from 1.3 kilometers to 1.8 kilometers.
Currently, the airport’s runway can only accommodate light aircrafts of Air Juan and a Cebu-based flying school for practicing short field take-offs and landings.
During the inauguration of the airport’s new terminal building here, Tugade said expanding the runway will allow bigger planes to use the airport.
The transport chief, however, declined to disclose the estimated budget of the project since the proposal still has to go through the planning stage.
Located in Panan-awan village, the Maasin Airport development project also involves the upcoming construction of a vehicular parking area, power house, access road, and installation of furniture and air conditioning units. These projects were bid-out on June 14, 2018.
Panan-awan
The PHP25-million passenger terminal building added 100 seats to the 50-seater departure area.
“In the future, we will upgrade the design of this terminal from being high-ceiling to air-conditioned,” Tugade added.
Maasin Airport is one of the community airports under the CAAP National Airport System, and is the only airport serving Southern Leyte province.
In 2013, Maasin Airport served as a backup entry point for relief goods and medicine deliveries during the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda -- showing its capability and potential to serve as an alternate airport to Tacloban City’s Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.
In 2017, the airport terminal served 1,595 passengers bound for Cebu and Tagbilaran, Bohol through Air Juan’s four-time weekly flight.
