Kalibo airport up for long-term upgrades

Kalibo International Airport expansion was overdue to accommodate the surge in visitor numbers for Boracay / PHOTO BOY RYAN ZABAL

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

A consulting firm of engineers and planners has completed the feasibility study for the long-term development of Kalibo International Airport. 

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores identified Schema Konsult, Inc. for the planning, detailed architectural and engineering design, and construction management of Kalibo airport. 

The consultancy firm is also the independent certification engineer of the ongoing Caticlan Airport Development Project of TransAire Company in Malay, Aklan. 

A team from Schema Konsult, Inc. recently met with Miraflores and Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr. to initially discuss the detailed evaluation of airport development.

The feasibility and master plan study for Kalibo International Airport Development was funded by the Department of Tourism (DoT), which was also submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

To meet the rising volume of passengers, DoTC is pursuing to modernize the Kalibo International Airport with the construction of new passenger terminal buildings, expansion of runway strip and taxiway, access roads and other infrastructure works.  

Kalibo airport, located in Barangay Pook, is one of the busiest airports in the country with close to 100 international and domestic flights daily to Manila, Cebu, China, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, South Korea and Singapore. 

The Kalibo airport is also the 4^th ranked domestic route from Manila by seat capacity behind Cebu, Davao and Iloilo while Caticlan airport is just outside the top 10, according to data from Centre Aviation and OAG, the market leader in aviation data.  

Miraflores disclosed that Kalibo airport will expand the runway to 3,300 meters to handle large-bodied commercial airlines for long-haul international flights such as Australia. 

The expansion plan also requires the re-routing of the existing portion of Jaime L. Cardinal Sin road in Barangay Pook to build the runway.  

“Tourism industry will prosper in other towns of Aklan aside from Boracay with the significant development of Kalibo airport,” Miraflores added. 

The governor said the Caticlan and Kalibo airports will co-exist and complement in serving the increasing tourist arrivals in Boracay Island. 

A study of Par Excellence Consultancy Firm, Inc. also showed that the number of passengers in Aklan would hit 2.95 million to 6.4 million by year 2020.