08/07/2025
Sangley international airport begins construction in ‘25—Jonvic
Source: Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
SANGLEY Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite intends to be a premier international airport after the end of life of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said, “Yes, that’s what we are planning [for Sangley to be a premier aiport],” adding there won’t be any competition with the Bulacan International Airport of tycoon Ramon S. Ang. Remulla was Cavite governor when plans to develop SPIA were finalized.
He said the target is to begin the airport’s construction by “this year” and complete the first phase of the project, “in two years (2027) because it’s just a runway upgrade.” The first phase of the project, which costs $2 billion, involves a reclamation component to extend the current 2.1-kilometer runway to 3.4 km, to allow a Boeing 777 to land, as well as a passenger terminal. The B777 aircraft line is the largest twinjet and most-built wide-body aircraft in the world, and can accommodate from 301-368 passengers.
The first phase will also include a dedicated access road from Cavitex direct to Sangley: “It will just take 20 minutes from here [City of Dreams] to the airport using Cavitex,” said the DILG chief during an open forum after his keynote address at the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) Sales and Marketing Summit on June 19, 2025. Completion of the project, he said, will be an immense boost to visitor arrivals in the country, as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport can no longer accommodate more international flights due to its limited slots.
‘We’re good’, Remulla says of RSA
In his speech, Remulla also enumerated the government projects being undertaken to secure the safety of tourists especially in Metro Manila, which he said was the cause of the sluggish visitor arrivals in the country.
SPIA is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Cavite government and a consortium composed of Cavitex Holdings Inc. and the Yuchengco-led House of Investments. Remulla added, “We are partnering with GMR [Airports] and the Yuchengco group.” Upon completion of the SPIA, which costs a total of $11 billion, there will be four runways and terminal facilities that can accommodate 75 million passengers annually.
In an email, the SPIA Consortium clarified though, “GMR Airports is not an SPIA Devt. Consortium member. In the previous Naia PPP tender, GMR assembled their consortium along with Cavitex Holdings Inc. and House of Investments. The consortium has received interest from other parties to participate [in the SPIA] as well, but the equity partners have yet to make a decision on this matter.”
They added that construction of SPIA “will begin once the negotiations with the Philippine Navy (PN) for the use of land have been completed. Positive discussions between the PN and the parties are ongoing.” For his part, Remulla said, “In the first week of July, we (Cavite) will be signing a MOA (memorandum of agreement with DND (Department of National Defense), that’s the last stumbling block” in the project’s commencement.
Meanwhile, the DILG Secretary stresssed: “We’re just one runway. We’re not competing with them [Bulacan]. We’re just the alternative runway,” when asked if he’s had talks with Ang, who is building the latter. “We’re good,” said Remulla of his relationship with the business tycoon. Ang also leads the New Naia Infrastrucutre Corp., which won the right to modernize Naia facilities and improve its services over 15 years. With improvements, Naia’s passenger capacity will rise from 43 million to 62 million annually.
For 25M passengers
With the first phase of the SPIA project completed, Remulla said it will be able to accommodate 25 million passengers to help support Naia. “That’s the number one complaint of airports, they don’t have enough landing rights. Naia is now servicing 38 million passengers, but it was just built for 30 million, so it’s already 20-25 percent overcapacity.”
He noted that carriers from India, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan, and the United States are asking for more flights to Manila, “except we just don’t have the slots anymore and nobody wants to land in Clark because it’s too far. Sangley is the option we have today.”
The Department of Transportation has said there is no timeline yet for the SPIA as the project proponents have yet to submit the project design and its environmental compliance certificate.
Source: Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
