MANILA, Philippines – Passenger traffic at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is seen to post a compounded annual growth rate of 10 percent in the next five years as its private operator continues to woo airlines to offer flights to new destinations from Cebu.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) president Louie Ferrer said the projection was anchored on the 33 percent growth in passenger volume to eight million last year.
“Cebu already has the necessary infrastructure and strong international connectivity. We want to take it a step further by continuously seeking new destinations that can be opened via Cebu, and in doing so open new channels for tourism and trade in neighboring provinces, most especially those in Mindanao,” he said.
He said the growth of MCIA would also lead to the development of smaller airports in the southern part of the Philippines.
“Airline partners such as Philippine Airlines (PAL) have also re-established regional hubs in Visayas and Mindanao. In fact, with the increased number of visitors, smaller airports connected to Cebu have already seen significant traffic growth,” he said.
He added the increase in traffic is being seen more in the connection from Mindanao to Cebu than Mindanao to Manila.
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Since GMCAC took over the operations of the MCIA in November 2014, 11 new routes were opened by airlines at the airport.
The most recent route launched was China Eastern Airlines’ direct flight to Chengdu in China from Cebu last Sept. 25.
Other airlines with international flight services at the MCIA are EVA Air for daily flights to Taipei, Xiamen Airlines of China for flights to Xiamen, Emirates Airlines for services to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, as well as flights to Los Angeles in the US via PAL.
The MCIA currently connects Cebu to 26 domestic and 12 international destinations in eight countries across Asia, US and the Middle East.
