The Department of Transportation (DOTr) seeks to approve the construction of the Bulacan Airport, dubbed as one of the biggest airport in the world, by the end of the year as senators underscore the need for an alternative gateway in the country. .
During the Senate hearing on the investigation of the Xiamen Airlines incident, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that they are exhausting all measures to ensure that the construction of the airport will be approved within the year.
Currently, the San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC), the proponent of the airport, is reviewing the revised concession period and other comments as per the DOTr, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Department of Finance.
Once the government and SMHC agree, the final draft will be up for Swiss Challenge and later on, final approval.
Earlier, San Miguel president Ramon Ang revealed that Bulacan Airport is set to become one of the biggest airports not only in Asia but in the world.
In his speech during Far Eastern University’s 90th General Commencement Exercises where he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Business Engineering Honoris Causa, Ang shared his company’s plans in the field of infrastructure, particularly their proposed Bulacan Airport.
“The Bulacan Airport will be one of the biggest airports in Asia and the world,” Ang said.
If approved by the government, the Bulacan airport will be named New Manila International Airport.
The business tycoon underscored that the airport will help boost the country’s employment and tourism. Over 1 million direct and indirect jobs will be available for overseas Filipino workers and locals during its construction phase.
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“It will have six parallel runways good for 200 million passengers equipped with mass transit. It will create 40 million jobs and bring in 20 million foreign tourists a year. A comparable country like Thailand with a population of 100 million brought in 30 million tourists,” Ang said.
SMC submitted a proposal to build, operate, and maintain an airport in Bulacan. The 1,168-hectare airport can accommodate over 200 million passengers annually, more than triple than Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) capacity.
A city complex will also be built at a 2,500-hectare area along Manila Bay in Bulacan, Bulacan.
