- 11 minutes ago
What does it take to run an airport that is no longer just a place where people arrive and depart, but a vital part of Cebu’s tourism, business, investment and economic future?
On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we sit down with Mr. Julius Neri Jr., General Manager of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), to talk about the transformation of MCIA—from operational improvements and faster connections to international recognition, Cebu’s ambitions as a regional hub, and the people working behind the scenes to deliver a world-class passenger experience.
From the challenges of managing a global gateway to the bigger question of what MCIA represents for Cebu, Mr. Neri shares the vision, leadership lessons and plans shaping the airport’s next chapter.
Is MCIA ready to become more than Cebu’s gateway—and become one of the Philippines’ gateways to the world?
Watch Beyond the Headlines and hear the story behind the airport beyond the terminal.
On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we sit down with Mr. Julius Neri Jr., General Manager of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), to talk about the transformation of MCIA—from operational improvements and faster connections to international recognition, Cebu’s ambitions as a regional hub, and the people working behind the scenes to deliver a world-class passenger experience.
From the challenges of managing a global gateway to the bigger question of what MCIA represents for Cebu, Mr. Neri shares the vision, leadership lessons and plans shaping the airport’s next chapter.
Is MCIA ready to become more than Cebu’s gateway—and become one of the Philippines’ gateways to the world?
Watch Beyond the Headlines and hear the story behind the airport beyond the terminal.
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NewsTranscript
00:00In International Airport, do you find yourself comparing MC Magdan, Cebu International Airport with that particular airport?
00:08Of course. You always compare. You can't help but compare.
00:12And I look at a lot of things.
00:13But two of the things I look at first or most quickly is the time a person spends in the
00:24line for immigration, whether arriving or departing.
00:28So in the immigration lines, I check on two things.
00:31How long do you stand in line? Number one.
00:34And number two, how long are you actually in front of an immigration officer?
00:39And aside from that, of course, I always check the temperature.
00:46Many other things, but those two are really first.
00:50And I think that's already related to what I'm also about to ask you.
00:54What are the areas man that are best practices that you wish to steal or copy every time you are
01:04in a very good and efficient airport?
01:07Well, you know, what makes me very envious in airports such as Hong Kong, Dubai and others is the contactless
01:20immigration procedure.
01:22So having, you know, the best equipment that will either scan your passport or just do face recognition and you
01:33can walk in and out right away.
01:35That is what I'm most envious of.
01:37And I would like to say that we're almost there.
01:42However, we are going to be installing this equipment sometime in September, meaning next month.
01:50And hopefully it will be fully operational in two months after that.
01:56So that is the schedule.
01:57We are hoping that by December we will have that feature.
02:00And running a highly successful airport can also be, it's not an easy journey.
02:10So what keeps you grounded as a leader and as a person?
02:14You know, in my many years of experience in the private sector, one of the most important lessons I've learned
02:24is that to run a successful company, you have to have people who are motivated.
02:32So motivating people keeps me grounded.
02:37It's not about who gets the credit.
02:41It's about what gets done.
02:45And speaking of people, and I hope you have already answered because this truly is a live interview.
02:52What's the unique or funny or special or unusual requests that you can recall?
03:06You know, it's not really unusual, but you know, sometimes things are not very well coordinated.
03:16So just last week, I got a message from a friend who said, you know, my friend is traveling to
03:27the US.
03:28And they are taking, he's taking with him a dog.
03:33Okay.
03:34And the dog will be checked in as luggage.
03:39So already the airline agreed.
03:43It's with all the papers, the correct procedure.
03:47However, the guard at the terminal will not let the dog in.
03:53So, you know, it's a very simple problem.
03:57The airline is okay.
03:58It's legal to do it.
03:59But the guard will not allow the dog in.
04:01So I just, you know, talk to the people involved.
04:04And I found out that dogs that are traveling are actually allowed in the terminal.
04:10It is that, it is just that employees are not allowed to bring pets inside.
04:17So the way it was communicated to the guard is maybe missing something.
04:26Yeah.
04:26Just generic, no?
04:27Yes.
04:27And no pets allowed.
04:29Very, very generic.
04:32I also got, this is really, in my opinion, one for the books.
04:38A few years ago, around holiday season, we saw a Facebook post from an OFW alleging that her money was
04:51stolen at the airport when she arrived.
04:56So we looked into it and we found out that this lady allegedly lost $10,000 and the money was
05:04allegedly put in her check-in luggage.
05:09So first and foremost, would you actually put $10,000 in your check-in luggage?
05:14Very, very unlikely.
05:16So after further investigation, we found out that apparently this lady promised to give her relatives cash as gifts for
05:26Christmas and did not want to do so anymore.
05:30So she said, oh, my money was stolen at the airport.
05:33I have no money to give you.
05:36Unusual.
05:37So you get things like that, you know, all kinds.
05:40Well, people can also be creative in so many ways.
05:45Now, when we, because in my profession, for example, every time we pitch for a client, part of the standard
05:55feature is always to include Mactan Cebu International Airport.
05:59That's how proud we also are with it.
06:02So in your view, what does the airport actually represent for Cebu, aside from the obvious runways and terminals?
06:12You know, the airport, our airport being multi-awarded, in my view, and from the feedback I've gotten, is a
06:23source of pride and unity for the Cebuanos.
06:28Sometimes the Cebuanos may be, you know, may be disunited in terms of, for example, politics or in terms of
06:38issues that plague us like garbage, you know, floods, etc.
06:42But generally, most people agree that our airport is something to be proud of.
06:48And that is what I try to instill in our stakeholders.
06:55You know, we have something that is very unifying to our community.
06:59We have something that we can be proud of.
07:02We have something that is acclaimed internationally to be a success.
07:07So let us help keep it that way.
07:10Let us be mindful of our reputation and let us strive to do even better.
07:16And speaking of reputation, among the cool thing also as an outsider, you know, at least from the airport or
07:25aviation industry, are the multiple recognitions also.
07:29And you've mentioned that that Mactan Cebu International Airport has been receiving.
07:32And as we know, while it's easy to celebrate those, but there's a lot of work that's needed for the
07:39achievement, for the recognition to be achieved.
07:42So what do you think also is, and I think in the Philippines, this is the most awarded, at least
07:48from my observation.
07:51What is Mactan Cebu International Airport doing differently that attracted all this recognition?
07:59Well, if you would ask me to say what is the secret of our success, for me, it is very,
08:06very simple.
08:08It is collaboration.
08:10It is working together without minding who will get the credit.
08:16You know, our success at the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority is the success of Aboiti Cebu Airport Corporation, is
08:28the success of all of our airlines and partners here, is the success of Cebu as a whole, is the
08:35success of the Philippines.
08:36And there are many qualifications, for the lack of a better word, for an airport to be recognized as the
08:47best.
08:48For Mactan Cebu International Airport, what exactly is the, for the lack of a better word, the category or the
08:55qualification or the filter that make this airport stand out?
09:01You know, our vision, vision is to run one of the most, one of the best and most friendly passenger
09:11centric airports in our category in Asia and in the world.
09:15And we prioritize, of course, the number one priority is always safety, always, every single time, every single day, every
09:27hour, every minute.
09:28But next to safety, we prioritize passenger experience.
09:33We would like our passengers to have a memorable experience when they land and when they leave.
09:37And, of course, it's also natural that you would also hear some passenger complaints.
09:48But as we also know, as leaders, not all of the complaints are actually valid.
09:54Which part of complaints that you hear in which you wish passengers would better understand?
10:02Well, you know, complaints are natural.
10:09They happen because an airport always, there are always things that go wrong.
10:16Because the volume of people.
10:17Yeah, with the volume of people, you can never please everybody all the time.
10:22Sadly for me, a lot of people address their complaints to us, even if we have nothing to do with
10:29it.
10:30For example, many of the complaints addressed to us are actually airline issues and the complaints should be directed to
10:40the airline.
10:41Having said that, we're the ones running the airport, oversee the airport.
10:44So we accept the complaints, we answer, we accept wrong criticism.
10:48It's all part of the part of the job.
10:52Sometimes also, what people don't realize are maybe the most common complaints about delays.
11:01And delays sometimes or oftentimes happens in Mactan, but it's not caused by us.
11:09It's caused by a delay in other airports.
11:12Any delay in the country, even outside the country, it cascades to us because once the plane leaves late, it
11:19arrives here late and it, you know, everything is late.
11:23Another thing, another complaint we get about, we get a lot, is about luggage either being lost or with something
11:36stolen in the luggage.
11:38Now, what people don't always understand is that, especially when you travel from the U.S. coming to the Philippines,
11:50if your luggage does not have TSA locks, the TSA can forcibly open your luggage and then they will just
11:58tape it shut and send it on its way.
12:01So there's really nothing we can do about that.
12:03So that's one common complaint.
12:05Another complaint is that people say that something was lost or stolen in their luggage.
12:13Now, when that happens, they have to think.
12:17In Mactan, when the plane lands, there's a standard, how long it will take for the luggage to get from
12:26the plane to the carousel.
12:28And in most cases, it's a maximum of 45 minutes.
12:33So if you say your designer perfume was stolen in your luggage, in 45 minutes, they have to unload your
12:40luggage, find this particular perfume, steal it, close your luggage and put it in the rack.
12:46But then what you may not understand is you had a layover, which was an eight hour layover.
12:52Most likely, that is where your stuff was stolen because your luggage was there for eight hours doing nothing.
12:58Compared to maximum of 45 minutes here.
13:01Yes, for example.
13:03And for cases like this or even what passengers would normally see or experience, but I'm sure there are also
13:13a lot of ways that your leadership has also improved in the back end, which we don't normally see, but
13:23we just experience.
13:24What are those also that you can share?
13:28Well, for example, one of our features unique to most airports is that if you look at the carousel, you
13:37will see there are monitors.
13:39And the monitors will show you your luggage being unloaded from the, what do you call that?
13:46From the stranger luggage onto the carousel.
13:51So you will see that your luggage is not thrown.
13:55Oh.
13:56It is put carefully.
13:58So we have cameras that show that.
14:02I'm glad to know that actually because I did not know.
14:07That's one feature that I could actually leverage.
14:11Just for peace of mind.
14:12Next time you go to T2, you...
14:14But it doesn't mean that nothing goes wrong.
14:16Because for example, my wife, on two occasions, had luggage damage on a particular airline on flights from Manila.
14:25I will just not mention the airline.
14:27Okay.
14:31So this one, and I'll have to read this, and you can correct me if my information is wrong.
14:37I've learned that domestic to domestic connection time was reduced from 60 minutes to 35 minutes, while connecting journeys were
14:47reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes.
14:50So for passengers, it's easy for us to appreciate this, but I know there's a lot of work that had
14:56to be done to make this happen.
14:59Yes.
15:00What you described is a feature or product we call Cebu Connect.
15:06Yes.
15:07Where in connection times have been reduced.
15:09Now, this is significant.
15:14It took us a long while to get this done because especially when you talk of international connectivity to domestic
15:26flights and vice versa, domestic to international,
15:29international, it means that we had to have another portal where you can go through immigration, customs, security, without having
15:44to go out of the check-in of the pre-departure area.
15:49So we had to coordinate with the Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, the Office of Transportation
15:57Security, and get everybody on the same page to deploy more people, especially for this feature.
16:06And well, it turned out to be very successful.
16:09It's working out very well so far.
16:11I also heard good feedback about it.
16:13Yes.
16:14Having said that, there is still a limitation.
16:16And the limitation is it is only between the same airline.
16:20It is not yet between different airlines.
16:23That is the next step we will try to put in place, although that will be more challenging because sometimes
16:31different airlines have different software.
16:34You have to get the software to communicate and all that.
16:36So we'll see if we can get there or not.
16:39And among the good things also about this airport, it's also its location because it is at the center of
16:49the Philippines.
16:51Do you think we have already maximized that geographical advantage?
17:02Well, you know, the good thing about Cebu is that we are located in central Philippines within a one-hour
17:15flight from over 90% of all our tourist destinations.
17:21So if tourism is your goal as a traveler, then Cebu is the place to connect to.
17:28We also have the advantage or we're lucky enough because NIA has now not allowed any turboprop flights or has
17:45minimized the number of turboprop flights that they are allowing in their runway.
17:50So all of these turboprop flights were moved to Clark and Cebu.
17:56So Cebu has now become a transit gateway for people abroad to go to places like Siargao or Boracay or
18:09Coron or whatever places that do not accept jets.
18:13Then it is more convenient for them to connect through Cebu than through Manila.
18:19If you pass through the IA, you have to pass your immigration, get your luggage, take another car, go to
18:25Clark and connect there.
18:26It's really more difficult.
18:27The last time we saw each other was in the MICE Summit or Tourism Summit that was organized by Cebu
18:37Chamber of Commerce.
18:39And of course, we know that an airport is also a crucial component to make our stronger ambition happen.
18:48So can you also tell us and our viewers what's the role of the airport so that we would reach
18:54our goal to be a center for MICE and I think plus S, which is sports?
19:00Well, one of the things the airport does is we market for new routes and new destinations.
19:12So one of the main ways we do this is we attend two international conventions every year, which are run
19:25by routes.
19:26We attend routes Asia and routes world in these events, airport stakeholders from all over Asia and all over the
19:36world converge and conduct B2B meetings.
19:40So in one event, these are three, four day events.
19:44We sometimes do as many as 20 or more meetings, either with other airports, with other tourism departments of other
19:55countries.
19:56Or with other airport authorities and also joining us all the time are the Department of Tourism, the Civil Aviation
20:06Board, and other relevant stakeholders.
20:11And this one, I'll make a disclaimer.
20:14My next question is really for you as a person, not a GM and CEO of MCIAA.
20:21So if there are three places you wish Cebu to be connected to, in the near future, what would be
20:30these three places?
20:32Well, first, I would like there to be a direct flight to the mainland USA, either LA or San Francisco.
20:42But we had that before, no?
20:43We had that before.
20:45Hopefully, it will happen sooner rather than later.
20:50Secondly, I would like there to be more direct flights to China, similar to what we had pre-pandemic.
21:01And thirdly, I would like there to be direct flights to India.
21:07India has a very strong tourism sector, very strong middle class who are young and inclined to travel.
21:16And we covered a little bit of this earlier, but this one specifically on the economic impact, because there still
21:24are viewers, and even outsiders like me, who are still looking at airport as a transportation infrastructure rather than an
21:34economic infrastructure.
21:35Maybe you can articulate better also for those of us missing that point that this is not just a transportation
21:41infrastructure.
21:41Okay, you know, for an airport to succeed, there needs to be a lot of things happening, and a lot
21:53of industries within the airport vicinity.
22:00So the airport really is a complete ecosystem.
22:03It's like a small city.
22:05So if you want the airport to be successful and you want all the big airlines to come, you better
22:11have a maintenance and repair facility.
22:13That's number one, you better have catering services, you better have a cargo hub and cargo storage facilities, you better
22:27have flying schools that will produce pilots for your airlines.
22:34You better have a healthy general aviation part of the airport.
22:42So all of these things create an ecosystem.
22:48For example, I'll give you an example.
22:51Right after the pandemic, Japan did not entertain so many flights right away.
22:59The problem was they had all the capacity, but they had no people to help the planes land, to take
23:08out the luggage, to refuel the planes.
23:12All of these people left during the pandemic and simply did not come back.
23:16So that's part of the airport ecosystem.
23:19And these are also economic drivers.
23:23So to give you an example, in our airport, we have several flying schools.
23:30But since right now, our area for flying schools is getting a bit congested, some, I think one or two
23:40flying schools have now opened in our airport in Bantayan.
23:44So there's one flying school there with 100 mostly foreign students who are now living in Bantayan.
23:51So it is now helping the economic activity in Bantayan.
23:55So really, the successful airport will also drive the economy.
24:00And you've mentioned, not just in this particular question, but even before in our conversation, preceding conversation about it being
24:08an ecosystem, that there are a lot of players and people.
24:12And these are also kind of people who are not necessarily thinking about who gets the credit.
24:19On a leadership space, because maybe some of the leaders are also wondering, what would be your hacks or tips
24:27for leaders actually who are also managing an ecosystem for them to get all the players work together the same
24:35way that you are able to do?
24:38Well, I think first of all, you have to realize that nobody knows everything.
24:47You have to listen. You have to be open to ideas. You have to understand. You have to allow people
24:53to speak their minds.
24:55You have to allow people to give opinions contrary to your own. You have to be humble enough to listen
25:04and admit when someone's a better idea than you.
25:07You have to be determined enough, confident enough and strong enough to push an idea when you know it's the
25:15right thing to do.
25:15And then in the context of public and private partnership, this one is also a successful story.
25:24So in your view also, for the viewers who are watching, what makes a public-private partnership really work?
25:35Well, I think the secret to a successful public-private partnership is for it to be a true partnership in
25:45the real and complete sense of the word.
25:48Correct.
25:49With no one party dominating the other party.
25:52So I think that's really how it should be.
25:56So when we say that that is a crucial piece, but of course, as we also know, things don't necessarily
26:05run perfectly at all times.
26:07So when it hits a particular roadblock, how do you normally manage those?
26:15Especially differences.
26:16Yeah.
26:17So the way I look at it is the MCIA and our partners, we share a common goal.
26:26And that is for the airport to succeed.
26:30Sometimes along the way, you find different challenges.
26:36And the way to resolve it is to go back to your common goal.
26:39What is for the common good?
26:41It might be painful to one or two parties in the short term, but in the long term, it is
26:47the right thing to do.
26:48So we have to realize that and we have to accept that.
26:51And we have to just really do what needs to be done.
26:54And thank you for bringing that up.
26:55Because while you're actually talking about it, it's also reminding me, it even applies to relationship between people, not just
27:03organization.
27:04That when there will be roadblocks, we go back to why.
27:08We are in this partnership to begin with.
27:10Yes.
27:12So not only is Magtansibo International Airport achieving back-to-back recognition, but I also learned that Magtansibo International Airport
27:21also is rated three stars by Skytrucks.
27:27Can you also tell us more about that?
27:31Okay.
27:32Actually, was it three stars or four stars?
27:35Oh, sorry.
27:36I'm not sure even.
27:36I will believe you.
27:37Four stars.
27:38Okay.
27:39Yeah.
27:41I think Terminal 2 was rated four stars, I believe.
27:47And Terminal 1, I think, three stars.
27:52So it really is just how people who pass or Terminal view it based on their different experiences.
28:04One of the things that I'm also proud to share is that not only do we get from time to
28:12time, as you mentioned earlier, complaints, we also have been getting letters of thanks and appreciation.
28:19And mostly this is because of the helpfulness of our staff.
28:25When people arrive, especially the elderly who are not very tech savvy, and they have to comply with the eGov
28:33travel form.
28:33I have seen that.
28:34Yes.
28:35Continue.
28:35Yes.
28:35So we have people who will actually help you.
28:38Yes.
28:39Do it.
28:40Also, when people have left stuff lying around, most of the time they are recovered and returned to the rightful
28:50owner.
28:52And we always try to serve with a smile.
28:56I can tell also, even from this interview.
29:00So are you the kind of leader who is the plan everything kind of leader or let's see what happens
29:06kind of leader?
29:07Well, for many things, you have to plan.
29:13Planning will keep you prepared.
29:15But you also have to realize that very rarely do things go according to plan.
29:22Sometimes you have to improvise.
29:25Sometimes you have to step up.
29:28Sometimes you have to debate from what was originally planned.
29:33And we're now down to my last two questions.
29:37I know that you've covered this already in the earlier parts of the interview, but I think at least for
29:42the viewers to get them even more excited.
29:46What are the transformations in a nutshell that our viewers need to be excited in the months or even years
29:55to come?
29:56Well, I think the biggest transformation will happen very soon when we install those e-gates.
30:05Oh, yes.
30:06So we have 20 e-gates coming and we will be installing, if I remember correctly, 12 of them in
30:17arrivals and eight of them in departures.
30:21So this will allow the immigration process to be faster and more seamless.
30:29Having said that, this installation is not an event.
30:33It's a process because it will require software to talk to each other.
30:38So there will be glitches.
30:39There will be, you know, trial periods.
30:42There will be changes.
30:44Maybe temporarily this e-gates will only be for Filipinos, only for foreigners, just to get everything going.
30:51But what's important is that there already is a schedule to install.
30:57So hopefully it will go without a hitch, but you never know.
31:02But we're hoping for the best.
31:04So if we are then to fast forward to five years from now, what would be the milestones that the
31:15moment you look at them five years from now,
31:17and I know it's obvious also that you're the visionary kind of leader, what would be those milestones five years
31:25from now when you would say,
31:26oh, Mactan Cebu International Airport truly has achieved what we envisioned?
31:32Well, number one, of course, we would like to break through to the next level in terms of passenger traffic.
31:41Right now, our category for Aldous Awards, we are in the five to 15 million level.
31:46We have about almost 12,000 passengers a year.
31:51We would like to break through past the 15,000 level and be in a higher category.
31:56Of course, it will be more challenging, but that's part of the game.
32:03Secondly, we would like to really be a more tech savvy airport in terms of not only the e-gates,
32:14but maybe even the check in process for luggage and the luggage claim.
32:20You know, and of course, we'd like to maintain our excellent record of safety.
32:26So thank you very much for making time for us.
32:29You're a very busy leader, but it's as usual.
32:33It's been an insightful conversation with you, J.J.
32:37So thank you very much.
32:38Thank you. Thank you, DJ. And good afternoon to everyone.
32:41Have a pleasant day.
32:42Mm-hmm. So an airport is more than a place we pass through.
32:46It is a reflection of the people, the ambition, and the possibilities of the place it represents.
32:54And as Maktan Cebu International Airport continues to evolve, so does Cebu.
32:58I'm DJ Moises. Shout out to Coffee First for supporting conversations that matter.
33:04This is Beyond the Headlines. Have a good afternoon.
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