San Miguel Corp. on Tuesday confirmed that the first runway of the New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan will be operational no later than the second quarter of 2028, even as other parts of the project face adjusted timelines.
At the company’s stockholders’ meeting, chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang explained that delays are expected mainly for the passenger terminal and logistics center. The logistics facility, which needs around 7 million cubic meters of sand for development, was originally targeted for completion in 2025 but is now set to be finished by the end of 2026. Despite these adjustments, Ang assured that the first runway should be ready for use by 2028.
Built on a 2,500-hectare coastal site, the ₱735-billion airport is designed to ease heavy congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the country’s primary international gateway. San Miguel is also the winning bidder for NAIA’s rehabilitation.
Phase 1 operations are scheduled to start in late 2028, with capacity to serve up to 35 million passengers every year. Once completed, the facility will be able to accommodate up to 100 million passengers annually. Plans include four parallel runways to allow simultaneous takeoffs and landings, a passenger terminal spanning over 1.2 million square meters, and a dedicated cargo terminal.
Ang emphasized the company’s long-term commitment amid challenges. “For more than 135 years, generations of San Miguel employees have worked hard and kept their faith in what this company and our country can achieve. We have seen difficult years before, and still we keep building, because San Miguel was built for times like these,” he said.
