On top of every Filipino traveler’s wish list for the New Year is to depart from and arrive at a hassle-free and comfortable Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), four groups of companies submitted last week bids for its modernization and rehabilitation, namely: the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC), Asian Airport Consortium, GMR Airport Consortium, and SMC SAP & Co. Consortium. The DOTr will conduct a technical review of the bid submissions after 10 days, which will be followed by a financial review. Announcement of the winning bidder could take place within the first quarter of 2024.
The 15-year NAIA public-private partnership (PPP) concession agreement stipulates that the winning concessionaire will rehabilitate passenger terminals and airside facilities; develop commercial assets and utility systems; and provide surface access facilities, inter-terminal transfer facilities and services. The project seeks to increase the current annual passenger capacity of the NAIA from the current 35 million to at least 62 million.
It will also establish the connection of the NAIA Terminal 3 to the Metro Manila Subway station, conduct overall beautification of the airports terminals, and incorporation of sustainable measures in the area. Modernization of communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) systems is also included in the package.
Recall that the previous administration rejected the MIAC’s unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate the airport at a cost of P267 billion. The Marcos administration decided on a solicited proposal mode, capping the cost at P170.6 billion. The 15-year concession period could be extended for another 10 years, contingent on performance.
The rehabilitation of NAIA, the premier aviation gateway, is a crucial first step in the country’s efforts to reestablish itself as a favored tourist destination. Its ASEAN neighbors Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, have attracted hordes of foreign tourists whose numbers are projected to even exceed pre-Covid visitor levels. But more importantly, it must provide adequate, safe and satisfactory services and facilities to all who travel throughout our archipelago.
The eventual privatization of airport services at the NAIA will bring an end to more than four decades of government administration. In 1982, Executive Order No. 778 created the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) under the general supervision of the then Ministry of Transportation and Communications that was later renamed as the DOTC. The MIAA charter originally provided that 65 percent of the MIAA’s annual gross operating income be reverted to the general fund for the maintenance and operations of other international and domestic airports in the country; this amount was scaled down to 20 percent in 1987. Even after the enactment of Republic Act No. 6639 renaming the MIAA as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the MIAA retained its corporate name since the law did not amend its original or revised charters.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said: "This is a very important project of the government as we want all our passengers to improve their travel experience here in Manila…We look forward to working with the winning bidder in making the MIA one of the best airports in the world.”
This is a New Year’s wish that is evidently shared by tens of thousands of travelers.
