The Department of Transportation (DoTr) wants the proposed Bulacan airport to be built and operated in phases.
DoTr Undersecretary for planning Reuben Reinoso said the agency would be pushing for partial operability of the soon-to-rise international gateway in Bulacan.
”We’re not going to finish the whole facility before we could even operate. Don’t forget it’s P100 billion, single terminal, four parallel runways. Make your terminal modular. As long as you have a runway, you can start the operation,” he told reporters at the sidelines of an event on Wednesday.
He also reiterated DoTr’s plan to start the Swiss challenge within the first quarter, allowing other groups to contest conglomerate San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) unsolicited offer.
SMC wants to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed 2,500-hectare airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. The P735.6-billion project will also include a passenger terminal building with airside and landside facilities and an airport toll road.
If SMC still emerges as the winner, Reinoso said that once the construction starts, the Bulacan air hub may be operational in the next three to four years offering two runways, based on the original proponent’s timeline.
Under Phase 1, the facility can accommodate 35 million passengers and another 40 million under Phase 2, he added.
BY MA. LISBET K. ESMAEL
