The Department of Transportation expects the Naia Consortium to start the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by the third quarter of 2019.
“They gave us the timeline, they are looking at September 2019 to start,” DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo said over the weekend.
Tamayo, however, said the proposal of the Naia consortium would still be subject to review and approval of the National Economic and Development Authority board and to a Swiss Challenge in accordance with the requirements of Republic Act No. 7718, or the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.
The consortium’s members are Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
The Naia consortium in September secured an original proponent status from the DOTr, which is considered the first step in the rehabilitation and expansion of the international airport that currently operates beyond its rated capacity.
The unsolicited proposal, which was submitted to the DOTr and Manila International Airport Authority on Feb. 12, 2018, aims to transform Naia into a regional airport hub and expand its capacity to meet the anticipated growth in passenger traffic.
The Naia project supports the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program with its plan to develop the airport into a world-class facility and a regional air transport hub by upgrading its airside, landside and air navigation support”•building on the gains already achieved by the DOTr in terms of improving the traffic of aircraft movements on its runways.
The P102-billion proposal involves expanding and interconnecting the existing terminals of Naia, upgrading airside facilities, developing commercial facilities to increase airline and airpot efficiencies, enhancing passenger comfort and experience and elevating the status of Naia as the country’s premier international gateway.
The project aims to increase capacity up to 100 million passengers a year from about 40 million passengers last year.
The upgrade will elevate Naia to the level of major regional airports such as Changi in Singapore and Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok. It is also seen to become a viable transit hub for Southeast Asia.
Naia Consortium tapped Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. of Singapore to provide technical support in the areas of master planning, operations optimization and commercial development.