Mactan-Cebu runway starts rehab, closed for 5 hours daily

CEBU CITY - The runway of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) will be closed for five hours every day to pave way for rehabilitation works.

GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), which runs the operations at MCIA, said the runway will be closed for overlay works from 1:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. which started September 1 and up to September 21.

Avigael Maningo, GMCAC manager, said the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) originally planned to close the runway for eight hours, but it has been reduced to five hours after taking into consideration the effect the closure will have on airline operations.

Secretary Arthur Tugade, of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), has also rejected the initial plan and ordered MCIAA general manager Steve Dicdican to have the daily repair works reduced to less than eight hours so as not to further inconvenience the traveling public with more flight disruptions and delays.

Because of the three-week temporary closure, the GMCAC has also proposed for the immediate construction of a parallel emergency runway while the main runway is shut down for rehabilitation. When this plan materializes, Maningo said the airport will then have two operational runways “to provide the flying public with the seamless first-class service” they deserve.

For affected flights, passengers are advised to get in touch with their respective airlines to check the adjustments of their schedules. In view of the five-hour daily closure, Philippine Airlines has already rescheduled and cancelled several of its flights.

“We ask for the understanding of the travelling public and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience these closures would cause,” Maningo said. The GMCAC also assured that they are working hand in hand with the MCIAA, DOTr, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to ensure that the rehabilitation of the MCIA runway will be completed on schedule. (Luel Galarpe)

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