DOTr eyes privatization of 10 more airports by 2028

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it was aiming to privatize 10 more regional and tourist airports in the Philippines over the next few years.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday, June 16, said those set to be placed under public-private partnership (PPP) included the airports of Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, Bacolod-Silay, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa.

“This is something that I was bold enough to promise the President, that we would PPP these 10 airports,” said Dizon during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Infrastructure Forum in Makati City.

Out of the 10, Dizon said the Iloilo Airport project was in the most advanced stage.

“There was an unsolicited proposal by the Villar group… It’s now with the DepDev (Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Investment) Coordination Committee,” he noted.

While some airports will be developed as stand-alone projects, Dizon said he was open to the possibility of bidding them out as bundles, as recommended by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“It’s all about viability. The economics have to make sense,” he said.

On Monday, The DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) formally turned over the operations of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport to the Aboitiz Group under a P4.53-billion concession deal.

In September 2024, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was also taken over by the San Miguel Corporation-led New NAIA Infra Corp.

Meanwhile, Dizon said the government would continue building and expanding airports in remote areas. (ABS-CBN News)