THE Subic airport is expected to be ready for international service by mid-2020 with upgraded equipment delivered, a Subic Freeport official said, adding that the airport is being positioned for use by budget airlines.
“The navigational aids that we bought are already starting to be delivered, so I’m hoping that by December, all that will be installed and operational. Ang target namin nila (our target with Transportation Secretary Arthur P.) Tugade is middle of 2020 (for) everything (to) be in place,” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma told reporters Wednesday.
“Tina-target ko talaga sya for a budget airline… Kasi mahirap pag makipag-compete dun sa major airlines sa Clark so parang gusto kong magniche for budget airlines (The target is a budget airline because it will be difficult to compete for major airlines with Clark),” she added.
She clarified that the Subic airport is currently operational but is still in the process of “building it up to make it operational in an international capacity.”
She said the budget to upgrade the airport was P553 million in 2018. — Beatrice M. Laforga
