Godofredo P. Ramos Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
nativename = Paliparang Godofredo P. Ramos

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caption = Exterior of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
IATA = MPH
ICAO = RPVE
type = Public
operator = Air Transportation Office
city-served = Malay, Aklan
location = Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan
elevation-f = 16
elevation-m = 5
coordinates = Coord|11|55|29|N|121|57|18|E|type:airport
metric-elev = yes
metric-rwy = yes
r1-number = 06/24
r1-length-m = 810
r1-length-f = 2,657
r1-surface = Concrete
stat-year = 2005
stat1-header = Passengers
stat1-data = 519,349
stat2-header = Aircraft movements
stat2-data = 19,172
stat3-header = Metric tonnes of cargo
stat3-data = 4,091
footnotes = Statistics from the Air Transportation Office.

Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (Filipino: "Paliparang Godofredo P. Ramos") airport codes|MPH|RPVE, also known as Caticlan Airport, is an airport serving the general area of the town of Malay, located in the province of Aklan in the Philippines. It is one of the two gateways to Boracay, one of the Philippines' best-known tourist destinations. The airport is classified as a feeder airport by the Air Transportation Office, a body of the Department of Transportation and Communications that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.

The airport is the sixth-busiest airport in the Philippines and the third-busiest in the Western Visayas region, serving 519,349 passengers in 2005. [http://www.ato.gov.ph/Downloads/apc2001-2005.xls PASSENGER MOVEMENT CY 2001-2005] , Air Transportation Office, retrieved July 8, 2007] It is also a hub for South East Asian Airlines, with SEAIR serving the most destinations out of and having the most flights to and from Malay.

Since November 8, 2002, the airport has been named after the late Godofredo P. Ramos, a former member of Congress and a native of Malay. However, the name Caticlan Airport takes its name from its location on Barangay Caticlan in the same town.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines fly to Godofredo P. Ramos Airport:

*Cebu Pacific (Cebu, Manila)
*Philippine Airlines
**PAL Express (Cebu, Manila)
*South East Asian Airlines (Busuanga, Cebu, Cuyo, Manila, Manila-Clark, Naga [seasonal] , Puerto Princesa)
*Zest Airways (Cebu, Manila)

Due to the small size of the airport, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific also fly to the larger Kalibo Airport in Kalibo, the capital of Aklan. This is because Godofredo P. Ramos Airport cannot support larger aircraft.

Future development

The National Economic and Development Authority has approved the expansion of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, which will be undertaken by a private company called the Caticlan International Airport and Development Corporation. [http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/22/yehey/business/20080122bus4.html New Caticlan airport terminal OK’ed] , The Manila Times, January 22, 2008] The P2.5-billion expansion of the airport entails two stages: the construction of a new passenger terminal in the first stage, costing some P2.1 billion, and the extension of the existing runway to 2,100 meters as well as upgrading airport equipment and the existing apron, costing some P360 million.

Solicited as a Build-Operate-Transfer project and financed by a 70-30 mixture of bank loan and private sector equity, around 25 percent of the allocated funds would be used to clear a mountain near the airport's proximity, while an additional 18 percent would be allocated for land reclamation to accommodate an extended runway. [http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics6_jan22_2008 Airport near Boracay up for P2.5-b expansion] , Manila Standard Today, January 22, 2008]

The upgrading works would enable the airport not only to support jet aircraft but also to serve international destinations. Barring any hitches, both phases of the expansion would be complete by as early as 2011. Other estimates place it between 2012 and 2014.

References

ee also

*List of airports in the Philippines
*Kalibo Airport