DOTr: Regional airports to be privatized in bundles

The government will start turning over regional airports in bundles to the private sector by 2026, with the P12.9-billion expansion of Davao's gateway the first to undergo the process.

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is speeding up efforts to privatize the operations and maintenance of provincial airports by offering them to private bidders in groups.

To set this off, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the DOTr has tapped the World Bank's International Finance Corp. (IFC) to work on the bundling of the Francisco Bangoy International Airport Project in Davao.

The DOTr has received an unsolicited proposal worth P12.9 billion for the upgrade of the airport. The offer covers the renovation of the passenger terminal building in the first phase and capacity expansion for future demand in the second phase.

Apart from this, the DOTr has asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to bundle another set of regional airports. Dizon said these projects are scheduled for bidding in the fourth quarter, with the contracts aimed to be awarded in 2026.