Aboitiz InfraCapital to expand airport assets

By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter

ABOITIZ InfraCapital, Inc. is keen to develop and operate more regional airports in the country, its president said.

“If it is something feasible for us, business-wise, then we will definitely participate,” Aboitiz InfraCapital President and Chief Executive Officer Cosette V. Canilao said on the sidelines of BusinessWorld Forecast 2025 forum on Tuesday.

The Department of Transportation expects to start the process of selecting a company to manage and operate the Davao International Airport next year.

The agency has said it is planning to offer the Davao airport via a solicited mode after it signed a transaction advisory service agreement with the International Finance Corp.

Three more airports are slated for privatization next year — the Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, and Kalibo airports. These airports are expected to undergo Swiss challenges.

Asked whether Aboitiz InfraCapital is interested in challenging the original proponent for the Iloilo airport, Ms. Canilao said that the company would further assess the terms. “We will see. I cannot say that we will go for it. But we will certainly evaluate it.”

The group has submitted an unsolicited proposal to develop and improve the Iloilo International Airport. However, Prime Asset Ventures Inc. was given the original proponent status for its proposal to operate, maintain and expand the airport.

The infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz group is set to take over the operations and maintenance, respectively, of two regional airports — the New Bohol-Panglao International Airport and Laguindingan International Airport 2025.

For the New Bohol-Panglao International Airport, the company will partner with the same foreign company it tapped for Laguindingan International Airport, Ms. Canilao said.

Last month, Aboitiz InfraCapital said it would partner with Ireland-based daa International for the upgrade and operation of the Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental.

For both regional airports, Aboitiz InfraCapital said improvements and modernization efforts would be implemented as early as 2025.

According to the timetable set by the Transportation department, the government will hand over the operations of Laguindingan and Bohol airports to the private operator by April and June, respectively.

Aboitiz InfraCapital plans to expand Laguindingan’s capacity, she said, adding that it is seeking to improve the facilities and develop the traffic movement for Bohol Airport.

“For Laguindingan, we are going to tackle that immediately,” Ms. Canilao said. “For Bohol, it does not require that much rehabilitation… We need to develop the traffic because there are rooms to allow tourists to come in.”

Aboitiz InfraCapital has also taken full control of Mactan-Cebu International Airport after acquiring Megawide Construction Corp.’s remaining equity stake in the airport.