EDITORIAL - Paralyzed, again

Accidents happen, and the asphalt on the NAIA runway that peeled off after recent rains was laid months ago. New transport and airport officials refrained from laying the blame on the previous administration, and took responsibility for the severe disruption especially of domestic flights from Monday until early yesterday.

Regardless of who is ultimately responsible, the cancellation of scores of flights and diversion to Clark Field in Pampanga of several others should remind the new administration of the urgency of upgrading the country’s principal gateway.

Domestic flights were suspended because the asphalt layer on a portion of the NAIA runway a few meters long had been damaged and needed repair. Several flights, already on takeoff mode, had to idle on airports outside Metro Manila, with passengers glued to their seats, waiting for the green light to depart.

It was just the latest disaster to hit the Philippines’ supposedly premier airport that has become a national embarrassment. Last year, after renovations, the NAIA was no longer voted the world’s worst airport by travel websites. But floods on the tarmac, collapsing ceilings, complaints of bullet-planting or tanim-bala and a massive blackout that paralyzed flights were among the scandals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the past year.

NAIA is not the only airport with serious problems in this country. Air traffic at the NAIA builds up because many airports outside Metro Manila lack the capability to operate after the sun goes down. Poor air connectivity has been one of the biggest hindrances to economic development and the growth of Philippine travel and tourism.

Airports give travelers their first and sometimes only impression of a country. Aware of this, the Philippines’ neighbors have poured resources into building gateways that not only service flights but also serve as entertainment centers and theme parks. Two of the world’s best airports are in Asia: South Korea’s Incheon International and Singapore’s Changi.

Other Asian countries are rushing to compete. The Philippines has been trying to catch up, but with the latest disaster, the country seems to be going the other way. Dealing with this problem must be given the urgency that it deserves.