Iloilo airport is getting an OFW lounge and a new runway surface

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

ILOILO CITY – Rehabilitation of the Iloilo International Airport passenger terminal in Cabatuan, Iloilo is about 70% complete, with a runway overlay, a dedicated lounge for overseas Filipino workers, and an apron expansion lined up as the next phases of upgrading the gateway, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

Diego Eric L. Abecendario, acting civil aviation area manager of CAAP Region VI, gave the update during the Iloilo Business Club, Inc. (IBC) general membership meeting at Diversion 21 Hotel on Friday, Aug. 28.

Abecendario said the terminal has had to absorb passenger volumes well beyond its original design. The building has served the airport since it opened in 2007.

“As passengers began increase, we had to make adjustments and find ways to accommodate more people within existing terminal,” he said.

Previously open areas of the terminal are being converted into passenger spaces, and restrooms are being renovated.

The flight information display system has been replaced and is now operational.

Elevators and escalators are also being improved, with some additional works still being processed.

“We are making the terminal more functional, more convenient, and better suited to the number of passengers that Iloilo is now serving,” Abecendario said.

The asphalt overlay of the runway is being undertaken in phases, with the first phase underway and the second phase in procurement.

Abecendario said the overlay is meant to be a lasting solution to pavement wear and will give the airport greater operational flexibility, including the ability to accommodate larger aircraft.

CAAP is also in procurement for the construction of an OFW lounge at the pre-departure area on the third floor of the passenger terminal, targeted for implementation this year.

“We believe that providing them with a dedicated and comfortable place to wait is a simple but meaningful way to recognize their sacrifices,” he said.

An expansion of the airport apron is targeted for implementation late this year or early 2027, once the terminal improvements are in place.

Abecendario said air-side capacity must keep pace with the terminal, since a larger terminal offers little value if aircraft handling cannot support the corresponding growth.

The current works are funded under a PHP 190 million allocation from the 2024 General Appropriations Act downloaded to CAAP, which covered escalators, chillers, the display system, and terminal repairs.

In September 2025, CAAP told the Daily Guardian it had lined up PHP 707 million for ongoing and upcoming improvements at the airport, including a PHP 250 million terminal expansion proposed under the 2026 national budget to serve as a dedicated international pre-departure area.

The two-phase runway overlay was funded through CAAP’s 2025 budget.

The staggered works are separate from the long-planned PHP 20 billion expansion of the airport, which the Department of Transportation is studying for a solicited public-private partnership after earlier unsolicited proposals stalled.

“These are not isolated projects,” Abecendario said, describing them as parts of one effort to prepare the airport for the next stage of regional growth.

“When the airport moves forward, the region moves with it,” he added.