New Bohol-Panglao gateway starts commercial operations Wednesday

The recently inaugurated P8.9-billion Bohol-Panglao International Airport officially commenced operations on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

The old Tagbilaran Airport officially closed at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Starting 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, all flight operations are happening at the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in a notice to the public.

With the Tagbiliaran Airport closed, the Bohol-Panglao International Airport is now the only commercial gateway serving the province.

On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated the Bohol-Panglao International Airport—dubbed as the country’s first “eco-airport.” 

Located on Panglao Island in Bohol, the new gateway can accommodate as many as two million passengers annually—more than double the 800,000 yearly capacity of the Tagbilaran airport.

The airport uses natural ventilation. It harnesses solar energy from panels installed on the roof of the passenger terminal building.

Solar energy covers around 30 percent of the airport’s electricity requirements, including the hot water supply system.

Surrounding the airport is a landscape dotted with 1,700 trees, 240,000 pieces of shrubs, and 11 hectares of sod to reduce carbon dioxide emission.

The construction of the Bohol-Panglao gateway was funded by official development assistance from the Japanese government.

A joint venture between Japan’s Chiyoda Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. bagged the contract to build the airport.

“Progress for the completion of the BPIA went on for 18 years, starting with its first Feasibility Study in 2000,” the DOTr said.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade placed the Bohol-Panglao airport on a 24/7 construction pace to ensure its completion ahead of schedule, according to the DOTr.

“Madami hong duda, madami hong alinlangan. Apat na gobernador na ang lumipas, dalawang groundbreaking na ho ang nangyari, walang nangyari sa Panglao Airport,” Tugade said during the inauguration on Tuesday.

After breaking ground in 2015, the airport’s construction was hounded by 48 percent of slippage due to delays.

The Bohol-Panglao airport was originally targeted for completion in 2021 due to slippage and completion rate of only 6.48 percent as of June 2016. —Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News