Total cargo handled at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) grew slightly by 0.4% to 18.876 million kilograms (kg) in the first quarter of 2019 from 18.802 million kg in the same period last year.
Data from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) showed domestic cargoes, which accounted for 79% of the total, rose 4.8% to 14.913 million kg from 14.225 million kg in the first quarter of 2018.
International cargoes, on the other hand, dropped 13.4% to 3.964 million kg versus the 4.578 million kg recorded last year.
Flights at the Visayas air hub increased 7.3% to 26,335 in the first quarter of the year from 24,532 flights serviced in the first three months of 2018.
Domestic flights reached 19,742, or 6.6% higher than the 18,524 recorded last year. International flights grew 9.7% to 6,593 from 6,008 in the same period last year.
MCIA also posted higher passenger traffic in the first three months of the year, recording 3.021 million passengers. This is 14.5% higher than the 2.638 million passengers recorded in the same period last year.
Domestic passenger numbers were up 16.7% to 1.992 million from 1.707 million passengers, while international passenger traffic jumped 10.4% to 1.029 million passengers from 931,652 passengers.
Megawide Construction Corp., which is part of MCIA’s private concessionaire GMR-Megawide, earlier said the overall improvement in passenger and air traffic was attributed to additional airline partners and the increased number of domestic and international flights. In the second half of last year, the newly constructed Terminal 2, which exclusively services international flights, started operations.
As of February 2019, MCIA is serving 30 domestic and 20 international destinations with six local and 19 international airline partners.
Terminal 1, which has been dedicated to domestic flights, is undergoing renovation to turn it into an “Airport Village” and Asia’s “passenger-friendliest” airport.
According to MCIAA general manager Atty. Steve Dicdican, the Terminal 1 Arrivals Pick-up Zone accounts for majority of the MCIA passenger traffic at 7.7 million passengers per year.
Renovation of the terminal is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year.
