Philippines transport department targets Bukidnon runway completion as provincial airport upgrade advances

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Bukidnon airport runway upgrade

Highlights

Department of Transportation targets completion of Bukidnon airport's 2,100-meter runway by Q2 2025 and passenger terminal by December 2026.
The Bukidnon upgrade aligns with a strategy to equip provincial airports for single-aisle jets, enabling airlines to shift from turboprops and potentially lower air fares.
San Miguel Corp. committed to finish Godofredo P. Ramos Airport's terminal in Caticlan by Q2 2025, while advancing the P740-billion New Manila International Airport project.

Bukidnon upgrade timeline and scope

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said on Monday at the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Infrastructure forum that the Department of Transportation is aiming to complete Bukidnon airport's full 2,100-meter runway by the second quarter of next year, although topography remains a challenge.

Lopez said the agency is targeting completion of the passenger terminal building by December 2026. The department is working to bring major provincial airports to the 2,100-meter runway standard, which would allow them to accommodate single-aisle jets such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

The program is being positioned as a way to help lower air fares over time, as airlines could gain scale efficiencies by shifting from turboprops currently serving smaller airports to larger single-aisle aircraft.

Wider airport modernization push

Lopez also said construction of the passenger terminal building at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan is set to be completed next year.

He said San Miguel Corp., which started construction last year through its infrastructure unit, committed to finish the project by the second quarter of next year. The airport on Panay serves as the gateway to Boracay.

In 2024, San Miguel tapped Megawide Construction Corp. to design and build the airport's passenger terminal building. San Miguel is also developing the P740-billion Bulacan airport project, which will be known as the New Manila International Airport.

In our earlier coverage of planned Philippine sovereign bond reforms and the country’s bid for inclusion in J.P. Morgan’s Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets in 2027, we explained how these changes could broaden the investor base and support liquidity in government securities. We also noted that cheaper funding and stronger capital markets translate into real growth only if paired with credible fiscal policy and productive spending—especially on infrastructure and other competitiveness-boosting reforms.

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