Thousands of foreigners and local tourists will be able to arrive and depart from the New Bohol Airport in Panglao starting October.
The announcement was made by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.
In a recent inspection, Tugade said that building the airport until 2021 would be difficult to explain. The construction began in June 2015 but staggered at 48 percent completion because of delays.
However, Tugade’s move to fast-track the construction time to 24 hours a week cut the target opening by three years.
The Panglao airport will be the country’s first eco-airport. Among the features of the airport are natural ventilation and solar panels.
“Everyone should be excited about Panglao airport. I am very excited. This is the kind of airport that we should be building, an airport that has regard for the environment and the future generations,” Tugade said in a statement.
The completion of the airport is expected to boost tourism in Bohol with its capacity of two million passengers per year.
