Boracay's airports - very different and expanding to meet dramatic tourist demand

Unusually, the increasingly popular island resort of Boracay in the Philippines is served by two airports, Caticlan Godofredo P Ramos Airport and Kalibo Airport - neither of which is situated on the island itself. One remains wholly in the public sector and has a range of international flights, but is constrained at times. The other is domestic only for now; it has a private sector interest from two leading Philippine companies, and investment there is on a larger scale than at the other one.

Convenience is clearly a factor in gaining access to a tourist 'island paradise' but so is the ability to handle international and jet services. In this manner the two airports compete with each other. But there are developments in hand that may give one of them an advantage over the other.

Economic growth in the Philippines has accelerated, averaging 6.0% per year from 2011-2015, and competitiveness rankings have improved.

This report examines both airports by way of several sets of metrics, looks at the (local) airports that can be compared with them, and at their construction activities and ownership - the latter within the context of the Philippine government's search for foreign private sector partners to help develop its airports.