DAVAO CITY — Mati City Airport’s proposed expansion is expected to boost the tourism industry and open more investment opportunities in Davao Oriental province.
Improving the airport so it could accept commercial flights would open the province to investments, Tourism Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan told a news briefing.
The province is in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority and Tourism department about how to proceed with the airport’s commercialization, she added.
The airport is limited to chartered flights and light planes.
The private owners of the land where the Mati City airport is located gave their consent to the expansion plan, Mati Vice Mayor Glenda Rabat-Gayta said in June.
The airport, built in the 1980s, started in 2019 with an initial P200-million fund from the National Government.
A plan to expand the airport runway so it could accommodate bigger planes requires at least 27 more hectares of land.
The terminal building needs to be improved and a fire station and parking area have to be built. — Maya M. Padillo