The runway extension project that aims to augment the capacity of Vigan Airport in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur to handle more activities and demand has broken ground on April 8.
Once completed, the P69-million Vigan Airport Development Project will enable the air hub to cater to bigger aircraft, which means more flights and more passengers for the airport, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The Vigan Airport project is among four airport projects that proceed from the memorandum of agreement signed by DOTr and Department of National Defense (DND) in November 2018. The Armed Forces of the Philippines Task Force for Infrastructure Development, which is under the DND, will implement the airport projects through funds downloaded from the DOTr.
The infrastructure development project for Vigan Airport was launched to address the growing demand to improve the airport serving the general area of the Ilocos Region. Aside from the runway extension, projects such as the runway site acquisition, expansion of the passenger terminal building, construction of an administration building, and improvement of the vehicle parking area are also in the works.
Vigan Airport, classified as a community airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, caters to general aviation aircraft. In just two years, passenger volume has tripled in Vigan. From a record of 14,645 passengers in 2016, the airport registered 47,856 passengers in 2018, a compelling indication of the continued influx of passengers to Vigan.
Also the capital of Ilocos Sur, the City of Vigan is located on the western coast of the island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea. Well-known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts of cobblestone streets and unique architecture that fuse Philippine building design with colonial European architecture.
