MANILA—The Sangley Airport in Cavite City will be operational for small commercial aircraft with light cargo after it was inaugurated on Saturday

The event was led by President Rodrigo Duterte and officials from the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the local government.

The airport's construction, started in 2018, is expected to be finished by 2023, as the government eyes local and international flights there.

By then, the airport will be named Sangley Point International Airport, officials said.

TINGNAN: Hangar ng kabubukas na Sangley Airport sa Cavite City. Operational na para sa small commercial aircraft na may dalang light cargo ang naturang paliparan @DZMMTeleRadyo @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/u9MvfSVdMp

— Maria Arra Perez (@arraperezDZMM) February 15, 2020

On Friday, a commercial flight between Sangley and Balesin Island in Polillo town, Quezon commenced.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said it's possible that flights bound for Balesin from Clark International Airport will be transferred to Sangley, including flights for Caticlan, Aklan and El Nido, Palawan.

The airport project is a joint venture of the local government of Cavite and the consortium of MacroAsia Corp. (MAC) and China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC).

Under the project, a connector road and bridge will link Cavitex and Sangley. A line for the airport in the country's railway system is also being studied.

If the train line is constructed, passengers will only have 35 minutes of travel time between Metro Manila and Sangley Airport, officials said. — With a report from Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News