Government plans NAIA-2 rehab; no decision on PAL offer

MANILA, Philippines — The government is planning to spend P500 million to improve Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eddie Monreal said the amount would be used to rehabilitate NAIA Terminal 2.

“Actually it’s in the process of detailed engineering construction,” he said.

He said the detailed costing for the project need to be finalized before it could be offered for bidding.

Asked about the proposal of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to expand Terminal 2, Monreal said the government is yet to make a decision on the proposal.

Earlier, PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said the carrier is proposing to build a P20 billion new annex building which would house a passenger terminal designed to handle 12 to 15 million passengers per year and would have aerobridges capable of serving 12 to 17 wide-bodied and single aisle jets.

The proposed annex building will rise on a 16-hectare area adjacent to NAIA Terminal 2, comprising of the now defunct Philippine Village Hotel, former Nayong Pilipino complex, as well as a property owned by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

Pagcor said PAL is prohibited under a lease agreement entered into in July 2014 to use the rented property other than as an aircraft parking ramp or apron facility without the regulator’s prior written consent.

In response, PAL said it is willing to engage with Pagcor to resolve the matter.

Manuel Tamayo, undersecretary for the aviation sector at the Department of Transportation, said the improvement of Terminal 2 is in line with the government plans on airport development.

“The direction is to develop both MIAA and Clark,” he said.

The government has started the bidding process for the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the new passenger terminal building for the Clark International Airport.

The government has allocated P12.55 billion for the construction of a new passenger terminal building which could accommodate eight million passengers per annum, as well as the construction and installation of all required associated landside and airside facilities to support operations for the Clark International Airport.

Based on the timeline released earlier for the project, the government expects to select the EPC contractor by November, while the start of construction works for the passenger terminal is targeted for December this year.