New Bacolod-Silay airport inauguration slated Jan. 2008
BACOLOD CITY -- The new Bacolod-Silay Airport of international standards in Silay City, Negros Occidental will be inaugurated on January 16, 2008.
House Committee on Transportation chairman, Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead the inaugural ceremony.
Puentevella said the airport will commence its operations the day after the inauguration.
"The Air Transportation Office (ATO) needs 57 days to inform all those who are part of the aviation industry worldwide that a new airport has been opened and ready to accommodate aircrafts. Within this time frame, the Bacolod-Silay Airport will be on the aviation map of the world," Puentevella said.
The Bacolod solon said by the time the new airport starts its operations, the McKinley Road which is the access road to the P4-bilion airport, would have been fully-widened and concreted.
He confirmed reports that all major airlines in the country will start using the new airport once it is opened. It is located in Barangay Bagtic, Silay City, less than 20 kilometers northeast of Bacolod City.
"If not for the 57-day notice required, we can already open the airport by Christmas season this year," he said.
Puentevella noted the old Bacolod Airport located four kilometers from the heart of Bacolod, will be closed down and will be sold by the national government when the new airport in Silay opens. (PNA)