President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. along with the officials and personnel of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) during the inauguration of the MCIA Alternate Runway on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office)
CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 will now have a new runway for planes to use after the opening of the Alternate or Parallel Runway on Jan. 30.
The project’s opening was attended by President. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. who led the inauguration of the Alternate Runway Project.
The said project, which had an allocated budget amounting to P2.07 billion, has a runway length of 2,560 meters and a width of 45 meters.
The project construction started in February 2020, while the aeronautical survey was conducted from May to July 2023.
In his message, Pres. Marcos emphasized that the success of the project, which is the first and only parallel runway in the country, is the result of hard work, good preparation, and solid efforts displayed by those who managed and supported the project.
“As the first and only parallel runway in the Philippines, this runway is a bold leap forward. It will help in your competitiveness, in your connectivity, and in your capacity to take in visitors,” Marcos said.
“For the first time in our nation’s aviation history, we embarked on a major repair of an airport’s first runway without impeding ongoing operations. It is a testament to what passion for excellence, meticulous preparation, and consistent efforts can achieve,” the president added.
The opening of the Alternate Runway is expected to address the increasing air traffic demand and rising number of passengers and cargo, ensuring continuous and smooth airport operations during emergencies, maintenance, and runway closures.
The president also added that in 2028, the parallel runway will be used simultaneously with the original runway, which will increase the airport’s passenger capacity to accommodate 18 million passengers annually.
“By 2028, we expect the alternate – the parallel runway—to be used simultaneously together with the original runway, ensuring greater efficiency and capacity to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving and growing aviation industry,” said Pres. Marcos.
“With two runways running full time, the airport will now have the capacity, the capability to cater up to 18 million passengers a year,” he added.
The president also mentioned that the MCIA alternate runway symbolizes Cebu’s great desire to pursue its connection and development as the main economic hub and center of trade and tourism in the Visayas.
“This new runway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport reflects the very essence of Cebu: it is dynamic, promising, and always ready to take on challenges. And just as Cebu has been a center of trade and tourism, this parallel runway symbolizes the unrelenting drive to connect, and to grow, and to lead,” Pres. Marcos said.
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is the second largest airport in the Philippines, serving as the gateway to the Central Visayas region. (RGC/PIA7Cebu)
