Bicol International Airport officially opens in the Philippines

Bicol International Airport in Daraga town in the Albay province of the Philippines, has officially opened after 11 years of delay. BIA is the first international airport in the south Manila region. The airport, which is presented as the country’s ‘most scenic getaway’ with the iconic Mayon Volcano in the backdrop, has been inaugurated by the Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The airport had gone through three groundbreaking ceremonies before June 2016. Under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ programme, nonstop airport construction works were undertaken. The BIA project saw an investment of $79.1m (PHP4bn). Spread over 148ha of land area, BIA features an air traffic control (ATC) tower, 2,500m runway strip with night landing and take-off facilities. It has passenger and cargo terminals, fire stations, a car park and other facilities.<br/>