The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is pushing for the inclusion of the newly rehabilitated and expanded airport in General Santos City as among the alternate gateways for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and international travelers.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the city’s international standard airport can accommodate airline passengers coming in from as far as the Middle East.

Tugade said once the cap on international tourist arrivals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is expanded, there could be an influx of passengers from various countries.

“If we will increase the cap, we need to expand our gateways and not limit them to Clark, Cebu, and NAIA. We can include GenSan among the gateways for travelers from Doha who are going to Manila,” he said in a press briefing.

Tugade said he would propose such strategy with the airlines serving the international routes, including Philippine Airlines.

The other possible alternate gateways could be the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte and the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Tugade said.

The newly-refurbished General Santos Airport passenger terminal building has tripled in size from 4,000 to 12,000 square meters.

Tugade said the refurbishment and expansion of the airport, which started in 2018, was among the top priorities of the DOTr in Mindanao. (PNA)

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GenSan airport eyed as alternate int’l gateway
Source: Filipino Daily Inquirer