Probably one of the best travel-related news I heard these days is the current and upcoming renovations being done in our international airport here in Cebu.

On the 16th of this month, I had the chance to participate in an airport tour headed by Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive Advisor of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation.  We were briefed about the current and upcoming developments in Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Seeing the progress of the current renovation project made me feel more excited about the future of tourism and travel here in Cebu.  One of the best highlights of the tour is the development of a new terminal (terminal 2) wherein Kenneth Cobonpue is the interior designer.  Yes.  You read it right.  Kenneth Cobonpue, our very own Cebuano interior designer who is popular worldwide.  See a sneak peek of how the new airport terminal would look like in the photo below.

Apology for low quality photo.  This is from Andrew’s Power Point presentation.

Terminal 2 is expected to open in the Summer of 2018.

Top 17 Current and Future Changes in Mactan Cebu International Airport

If you travel often, for sure, you already noticed the current developments done in our airport but if you haven’t been to the airport in a long while, you’ll definitely be surprised how the current contractor (GMR-Megawide) is currently doing their task in enhancing the functionality and accessibility of our airport terminal.

Current Changes You Can Now See in our Airport

This 25-year project between the government and GMR-Megawide Airport Corporation (the contractor that won the bidding) aim to construct and manage new commercial facilities within the airport terminal.  All new systems installed in the airport are part of ARINC CUPPS Systems.  Current visible changes are the following.

1. All Airlines Now Operate Using One Platform

Unlike before wherein airline companies used each of their own system in processing the needs of their passengers, GMR-Megawide had installed vMUSE (a common check-in system for all airlines) last June of this year to make check-in process more efficient.  Andrew emphasized that they don’t charge the airline companies for this major change.

2. New Flight Information Display System (AirVue)

This new flight information display system is designed to enhance the operational flow inside the airport.  This helps passengers to keep on moving and help the airport increase their revenue opportunities through display advertising.  Read more details about this system here.

3. New Domestic Departure Area

4. New Self Check-In Kiosk

All passengers of Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, PAL, and Cebu Pacific can now check-in themselves using this system (SelfServ – Common Use Self Service Check-in Sytem [CUSS]).

5. New White Taxi Boarding Bay at Arrivals Level

Aside from the toilet problems, one of the most annoying part of the airport before is the location of its taxi terminal.  Now, the new white taxi boarding bay provides passengers a more comfortable and accessible place to get a taxi.

6. New Airport Medical Center

The passengers’ medical needs and services are now catered in the new clinic located near the airport’s Engineering Office.  The new clinic also comes with a new fully equipped ambulance.

Upcoming Changes You Can Expect to See in our Airport

Aside from the gigantic changes that will be brought due to the development of a new terminal (terminal 2), here are first the things you can expect to change in the old terminal (terminal 1).

7.  New Terminal Seating 

This change is expected to be visible on September of this year.

8. Renovation Plan for Overall International Departures

9. New Plaza Premium International Lounge Interior

10. Airport Mobile Charging Stations

11. Newly Designed Washrooms/Toilets

At last! The long wait is almost over.  Comfort rooms that are designed to provide comfort not discomfort.

12. Boarding Pass Validation with Automated Gate

Harrison said that our airport will be the very first in the country to implement this system.  Expect to see this change on the 3rd week of August this year.

13. Baggage Reconciliation System

See the rest of the current and upcoming changes in our airport in the Power Point slide presentation I created below.

Disclaimer: The compiled info in this presentation are based from Andrew Harrison’s original Power Point slides.

Exciting Features of Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2

The thing that excites me the most is the development of our airport’s 2nd terminal.  By just looking at the planned infrastructure, you can see that this one will be world-class.  Andrew said that they want the new terminal to be at par with the best airports in the world but at the same time maintain a theme and air that is uniquely Cebuano.

Without further ado, this is how the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 will look like.

14. Boarding Gate Area

15. Baggage Reclaim Area

16. Check-In Area

17. Departure Lounge Retail Area

Check the details of this upcoming development in the Power Point presentation below.

As I mentioned already earlier in this blog post, Kenneth Cobonpue will do the interior design of Terminal 2.  According to Harrison, the recent renovations and upcoming developments are expected to cost 17 to 19 billion pesos in the first 4 years of the project.

If you need more information about this current airport development project, you may visit the Mactan Cebu International Airport official website at www.mactancebuairport.com.