According to Direct flights from Mactan to Bantayan to resume this April | Cebu Daily News (inquirer.net), according to airport officials, direct flights between Mactan and Bantayan Island will resume the following month.
On March 8, 2023, the Bantayan Island Airport will reopen as it dedicates its upgraded runway.
Airport representatives from the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and the Provincial Government traveled in Cessna and Fokker 50 aircraft from the Mactan airport to the airport in Bantayan to commemorate the airport's milestone.
Roberto Lim, the secretary of transportation, Antonio Tamayo, the director general, and Julius Neri Jr., the general manager of the MCIAA were notable attendees.
According to Julius Neri Jr., general manager of MCIAA, the airport on Bantayan island is prepared to receive aircrafts after the runway was improved.
After years of the pandemic, direct flights will resume to Bantayan, according to Neri. He noted, nevertheless, that the Bantayan Island Airport can only now handle turboprop planes like the Fokker 50 and ATRs. Although more infrastructure and components are required before the airport can be considered a commercial airport, it is not yet one. However, Neri noted that commercial aircraft—aside from jets—can.
In Bantayan Island, improvements to the runway started in 2020 and were finished in late 2022.
In order to increase its length from 900 meters to 1,200 meters, or 1.2 kilometers, the government invested over P153 million.
Officials expressed optimism that the upgraded runway and the restoration of direct flights will help boost economic and tourism activity on the island, albeit recognizing that more work needed to be done to convert Bantayan Island Airport into a commercial airport.
The 25-hectare province-owned property that encircles the limits of Santa Fe and Bantayan municipalities is where Bantayan Island Airport is situated.
Santa Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos make up the three municipalities that make up Bantayan Island, which is about 140 kilometers northwest of Cebu.
One of Cebu's most well-liked tourist sites is Bantayan Island, which is renowned for its immaculate beaches and island-hopping opportunities.
