CABATUAN, ILOILO - Iloilo is being eyed as a cargo hub especially for seafood exports with the opening of the Iloilo international airport in this town.

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza noted that the Western Visayas region accounts for 60 percent of the country's seafood which are also exported to other countries especially Hong Kong and Japan.

The 188-hectare airport complex located 22 kms northwest of Iloilo City has a cargo building covering 1,300 square meters that is capable of handling 11,500 tons of cargo per year. The P8.7 billion airport can also accommodate bigger planes like the Airbus 330.

Mendoza said consultants of the International Civil Aviation Organization will soon conduct an assessment on the airport's facilities for compliance with international aviation standards. He said the new Iloilo airport is the "most modern and most beautiful" in the country in terms of structural design and facilities. He also said the airport will serve as an international gateway for Iloilo and the other provinces in Western Visayas and would bring in business, tourism and trade.

During the airport's inauguration, President Macapagal-Arroyo said that the Department of Transportation and Communication and Civil Aeronautics Board have finished negotiations with South Korea for an additional 19,000 airline seats for Korean passengers. She noted that 25 percent of the country's 3 million tourists come from Korea.

Japanese Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamasaki said Iloilo and Panay Island have gained "a new basis of growth" with the opening of the international airport. He noted that the old Iloilo airport had the fourth biggest number of passengers in the country that prompted the need for a bigger and more advanced airport. He noted that passenger volume in Iloilo has increased by 50 percent in the past decade.

Mendoza said the completion of the new Iloilo international airport is part of the program of the government to upgrade around 31 existing airports and construct new ones nationwide.*NB

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