Iloilo Airport Terminal Upgrades Set for Completion in 2026

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The PHP190-million upgrades at Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan are expected to boost passenger capacity and improve comfort by 2026, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

The funding, downloaded by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from Republic Act No. 11975 (General Appropriations Act FY2024), allocates PHP132.9 million for rehabilitating and improving the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) and PHP37.55 million for three new chillers.

CAAP’s press release on June 3 outlined the PTB improvements, including:

• Civil and structural works
• Architectural enhancements (roof fascia cleaning, tiling, ceiling and wall cladding, painting, waterproofing, doors, windows, and toilet partitions)
• Mechanical and electrical works (replacement of air-conditioning units, fire alarm system, ducting, lighting fixtures, chilled water piping)
• Plumbing upgrades, new furniture, and special equipment such as escalators and elevators
• Repair of the passenger boarding bridge and departure conveyor

The airport’s pre-departure area will increase its capacity from 727 passengers (367 domestic, 307 international) to 1,082 (675 domestic, 407 international).

Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor Arthur Parreño told Daily Guardian that Pasig-based R.U. Aquino Construction and Development Corp. won the contract.

The project is set for completion on June 14, 2026, within a 300-calendar-day work period.

The current Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air ticketing offices will be demolished to make way for two new escalators.

A section of the glass wall in the departure area will be removed to allow entry of materials for the escalators and a new elevator.

“That space of the ticketing offices will be broken down to give way for the opening of the glass walls, because the materials for the escalators, and also of course the additional elevator,” Parreño said.

The pre-departure area’s concession zone, currently occupied by “pasalubong” stalls, will be enclosed in glass, and X-ray machines will be relocated closer to the stairs.

The garden and fish pond areas will be removed, with glass walls taken down and replaced by flooring and additional gang chairs.

This will allow more seating and space for Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine bureaus handling international passengers.

The PHP37.55-million procurement of three 600-kilowatt chillers includes supply, installation, commissioning, and related mechanical and electrical works to ensure consistent terminal temperature control.

CAAP and DOTr also announced upcoming infrastructure projects for 2025, including:

• PTB rehabilitation (PHP141.11 million)
• Asphalt overlay of the runway (PHP550 million)
• Procurement of asphalt overlay works (PHP49.98 million)