SMC taps Megawide for Boracay airport terminal

SMC taps Megawide for Boracay airport terminal

MEGAWIDE SECURED the contract to develop and design the passenger terminal building at the Boracay airport. — PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has tapped the Saavedra-led Megawide Construction Corp. to design and construct a passenger terminal building at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan.

In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Megawide announced that it had secured the contract for the terminal building project at the Boracay airport, which is operated by Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp., a unit of SMC Infrastructure.

“This will be another exciting opportunity for Megawide — to be able to work with one of the country’s largest and oldest conglomerates, SMC, and help realize its vision of a world-class facility at the Caticlan airport,” Megawide Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Edgar B. Saavedra told the stock exchange.

SMC, through its infrastructure unit, oversees the modernization of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, also known as the Boracay airport.

“Our search for a partner-contractor who shares our vision of modernizing airports in the country has concluded with our partnership with Megawide,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

Megawide said the groundbreaking for the new terminal is scheduled for December.

Mr. Ang said previously that the construction of the new passenger terminal building might take up to three years to complete.

San Miguel plans to build a passenger terminal building with a capacity of seven million, with eight passenger boarding bridges.

“We believe that Megawide’s track record of building key infrastructure through efficient and sustainable practices will help us deliver a world-class facility within our committed deadline,” Mr. Ang said.

Megawide, together with its partner GMR Airports International BV, developed Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

Megawide has since divested its stake in MCIA, allowing Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. to take full control of the Mactan-Cebu airport.

Further, Megawide is also one of the developers of the passenger terminal building of Clark International Airport, which is now operated and managed by Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corp.

San Miguel is also undertaking the development of the P740-billion Bulacan International Airport or the New Manila International Airport (NMIA), which it expects to start development work next year.

The company also leads the New NAIA Infra Corp., which took over the operations and maintenance of the country’s main gateway in September this year. — Ashley Erika O. Jose