The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has granted Original Proponent Status (OPS) to Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. for its unsolicited proposal for the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.

The P42.7 billion project involves capacity augmentation through expansion or construction of new passenger terminals, installation of required equipment, and enhancement and development of airside facilities.

In a statement, AIC Chief Operating Officer Cosette Canilao said the granting of the OPS for the Laguindingan Airport opens up an opportunity for the infrastructure wing of the Aboitiz Group to play a major role in improving the Philippines' vital gateways.

Ghaye Alegrio, governor of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries Region 10, said the rehabilitation and upgrade of the airport is critical to the growth of investments and development of various industries in the region, particularly tourism.

"It took us 20 years before this airport was built. We don’t want to wait another 20 years for its expansion,” the governor said.

Passenger traffic at Laguindingan Airport has been above the airport’s design capacity of 1.6 million passengers per year from the time the airport began operations in 2013, based on statistics from CAAP. In 2018, an estimated two million passengers passed through this airport.

Alegrio noted that with more investments coming in, traffic is expected to further increase in the coming years.