NAIA Consortium bares 4-year plan for airport rehab

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s biggest conglomerates which banded together to end congestion problems at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have laid down a four-year plan in its latest proposal to bring significant improvements at the country’s main international gateway.

Under the revised proposal which was endorsed last Friday by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to the National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), the NAIA Consortium intends to undertake in phases upgrades and rehabilitation works at the gateway during the first four years upon getting clearance to start work.

“It will be in three phases over four years,” Transportation Undersecretary for planning Ruben Reinoso told The STAR, whose department reviewed “line by line” the NAIA Consortium’s revised proposal to see if it conformed with the terms of the concession agreement for the operation and maintenance contract of the Clark international airport.

A representative from the consortium declined to comment and give further details on the group’s plans, saying it may still change during the ongoing review process.

The NAIA Consortium will still have to secure the go signal from the ICC and the NEDA board before a Swiss challenge for the project could commence.

Having been granted with the original proponent status, the consortium has the right to match better offers submitted by other proponents once a Swiss challenge is undertaken for the project.

The NAIA Consortium’s P102 billion unsolicited proposal aims to transform NAIA into a regional airport hub and expand its capacity to meet the anticipated growth in passenger traffic from the strong economies of the Philippines and the region.

Back in September 2018, the Consortium said it could increase NAIA’s capacity to 47 million by 2020 and to 65 million by 2022 should they get clearance to start work late that year.

It also said then that Filipinos could expect a better airport experience as early as the third year from the time the group commences rehabilitation work.

NAIA has a design capacity of 31 million passengers, but it has been accommodating more than its capacity in the last few years.

A revised proposal from the consortium to rehabilitate, upgrade, expand, operate, and maintain the aging NAIA for 15 years was accepted by the DOTr on May 1, and was then submitted to the NEDA for review a few weeks after.

However, the unsolicited proposal was returned by the government to the group early last month following a decision to require all proponents of unsolicited airport projects to pattern their concession agreements after the operation and maintenance contract of the Clark International Airport.