DOTr awards operations and maintenance of Laguindingan Airport to Aboitiz

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday said it had officially handed the notice of award to Aboitiz InfraCapital for the operations and maintenance of the Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental.

The awarding of Laguindingan Airport's operations to a private concessionaire comes several weeks after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) opened the airport’s expanded passenger terminal, which is bigger by 72%.

"We are confident in the technical and management capability of Aboitiz to elevate Laguindingan to global standards, especially at improving passenger service," said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

The PPP project for the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of Laguindingan Airport was approved by the NEDA Board in July 2023.

Under the previous administration, Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. bagged original proponent status for its unsolicited proposal to take over the Laguindingan Airport.

"They (Aboitiz) believe airports are force multipliers in driving socio-economic progress through job creation, tourism development, and expanded connectivity," said Bautista.

The Laguindingan Airport PPP project proposes to upgrade, expand, operate, and maintain the gateway over a 30-year period and undertake two phases of capacity augmentation to meet increasing demand.

Aboitiz InfraCapital's scope of work at the airport involves the reconfiguration of existing terminal space to improve processing capacity, construction of a new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), as well as maintenance and repair. —VBL, GMA Integrated News