Cargo volume handled at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), the Philippines’ second busiest gateway, declined 6.7% to 76.571 million kilograms (kg) in 2019 from 82.058 million kg in 2018, data from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) showed.
Of the total volume, domestic cargo accounted for 76.6% with 58.664 million kg, 6.5% lower than the 62.817 million kg recorded in 2018.
Foreign cargoes, which contributed 23.4% of the total, went down 6.9% to 17.907 million kg in 2019 from 19.241 million kg in 2018.
Flights handled at MCIA in 2019 reached 107,794, up 7% from the 100,449 recorded flights in 2018. Of this total, 73.6% or 79, 289 were domestic flights while international flights accounted for the remaining 28,512.
Domestic flights grew 6% last year from 75,010 in 2018 while international flights went up 12% from 25,439 in 2018.
Passenger traffic rose 11.3% to 12.662 million passengers in 2019 from the 11.378 million serviced in 2018. Domestic passenger numbers reached 8.370 million, or 66% of the total, and are 10% higher than the 7.611 million passengers processed in 2018. International passenger traffic jumped 14% to 4.292 million passengers from 3.766 million passengers in 2018.
MCIA is currently connected to 28 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations via nine domestic airlines and 17 international carriers.
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), the consortium managing and developing MCIA, recently said it wants to improve Cebu and Davao’s connectivity.
“MCIA is a viable and more practical alternative for passengers coming from the Visayas and Mindanao region if ever they want to fly to other cities and destinations outside of the Philippines,” GMCAC airline marketing and tourism development head Aines Librodo said.
MCIA last October was ranked 16th best airport in Asia in the 2019 survey by travel website Sleeping in Airports, which releases annually its list of best and worst airports based on ratings from travellers.
In 2018, MCIA opened its new resort-themed passenger terminal building (PTB), increasing the airport’s capacity from 4.5 million passengers per year to 12.2 million.
The new PTB, Terminal 2, is dedicated to international flights, while the old terminal is now exclusively for domestic flights.
Renovation of Terminal 1 to give it a “village life” atmosphere was completed this year. – Roumina Pablo
Photo from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority
