Caticlan Airport, Nabas, Aklan
July 14, 2025
To meet the growing demands in passenger capacity and enhance operational capabilities, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking and time capsule laying of the Caticlan Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at Caticlan Airport in Nabas, Aklan.
Caticlan Airport serves as the main gateway to the popular tourist destination of Boracay Island. It is the country’s first privatized airport owned and operated by Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp. (TADHC), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Infrastructure.
“This is what we could refer to as a much-awaited project dahil ang dami-daming pinagdaanan, nasimulan, natigil, nalipat, maraming pagbabago bago tayo umabot dito sa araw na ito. Ngunit nandito na tayo. We are very happy and we are all very excited that we are slowly putting together the building blocks of our policy of opening up our areas, tourist areas, our business areas to international travelers without having to go through the Manila Airport,” President Marcos Jr. said in his remarks.
He noted that tourism currently contributes nearly eight percent (8%) to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and he aims to increase this further in terms of passengers per hour, passengers’ movements per hour, and the total number of passengers and travelers annually. The Administration’s long-term goal is to open the Philippines not only through Manila but with international flights coming directly to local destinations.
“It is not something that is just belonging to one province, it is not just – it is not just Aklan who is involved in this, it is the entire region that will be assisted by the construction of this terminal building. The influx of people, of travelers, is going to be a big boost to the local economy and, I might add, the national economy,” he emphasized.
The Chief Executive conveyed his appreciation to the provincial and local government officials of Aklan for supporting the infrastructure project by resolving the problems of right-of-way and land acquisition.
“When the national government, the local government, and the private sector work together hand-in-hand – not opposite sides but hand-in-hand – this is what we can achieve,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his remarks.
With a total floor area of 36,470 square meters, the two-storey Passenger Terminal Building will have six (6) passenger boarding bridges and 36 individual check-in counters. Designed to handle future growth with efficiency and comfort, the Caticlan PTB is expected to handle seven (7) million passengers annually with a simultaneous capacity of 3,000 passengers at any given time.
The design and construction phase period of the Caticlan PTB is from 2024 to 2027, contracted to Megawide Construction Corporation (MCC).
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