THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines announced Saturday the Godofredo Ramos Airport, also known as Caticlan Airport, had started aircraft operations of bigger variants like Airbus A320 plane.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said Philippine Airlines PAL Express flight from Manila took its inaugural touchdown on the airport’s newly expanded runway 06/24.
Apolonio said the newly constructed Nabas Apron at Caticlan Airport with nine parking bays would be opened for aircraft operations under the safety oversight by CAAP, adding the airports runway 06/24 had a length of 1,800 meters.
Before, Caticlan airport could handle only turbo propeller aircraft. But with the improvements and expansion of its single runway and apron it is expected to accommodate more passengers per flights.
PAL Express will initially operate two flights daily using an Airbus A320 while Cebu Pacific Air is expected to operate same aircraft variant tentatively on November 23 with AirAsia expected to follow soon.
TransAire Development Holdings Corp., a San Miguel Corp. affiliate, developed the Godofredo Ramos Airport under a build-operate-transfer scheme and will operate the airport for 25 years based on the agreement with the national government.
CAAP said the airport was the seventh busiest airport in the Philippines and the third-busiest in the Western Visayas region, serving more than 800,000 passengers.
It has been named after the late Godofredo Ramos, a former member of the House of Representatives and a native of Malay.
However, the name Caticlan Airport derives from its location in Barangay Caticlan in Malay town.