Cargo volume handled at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the first eight months declined 9.5% to 35.728 million kilograms from 39.481 million kg in the same period last year.
Of the total, domestic cargoes accounted for 71.5%, or 25.561 million kg, a 13.3% fall from the 29.474 million kg registered in the first eight months of 2013.
On the other hand, international cargo, which contributed 28.5% to the total, increased 1.6% to 10.167 million kg from 10.007 million kg year-on-year.
MCIA registered a total of 70,248 flights from January to August, 10.26% lower than the 43,518 flights posted in the same period last year.
Passenger traffic likewise dropped 2.62% to 4.7 million arrivals from 4.8 million.
Several local airlines recently announced they will inaugurate new flights connecting Cebu to other domestic and foreign destinations.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines said it will expand its routes to Japan with the opening of new services to Osaka and Nagoya via Cebu in December this year.
Budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air will start its Cebu-Tokyo (Narita) route on March 26, 2015, while another low-cost carrier, AirAsia Zest, will add connections from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro and Davao this December.
The Department of Transportation and Communications in April awarded the P17.52-billion MCIA upgrading project to the Megawide-GMR Infrastructure consortium. – Roumina Pablo
