Tour groups back government move on Terminal 3

Representatives of tourism-oriented groups said yesterday the government can intervene in the trouble-plagued Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 project under its mandate to protect the public’s interests, and defended a presidential adviser for recommending a government buyout of the German shares in the consortium.

Save Our Skies (SOS) president Robert Lim Joseph said the government’s move to intervene in the Terminal 3 controversy is long overdue because as early as last year several sectors have already pointed to the Terminal 3 contract’s onerous provisions and structural deficiencies at Terminal 3.

Angel Bognot, SOS vice president, said the high terminal fee that will be charged by the concessionaire, Philippine International Air Terminal Co. (Piatco), in NAIA 3 would discourage travelers and further adversely affect the tourism industry.

Piatco will be charging each departing passenger $20 or P1,034 terminal fee, P534 higher than the current rate. Terminal fees in other ASEAN countries range from $8 to $11 only.

"We think a high terminal fee would further dampen tourist interest in our country and reinforce our image abroad as a nation unfriendly to tourists," Bognot said.

Another concern raised by SOS is the existence of only one international runway at the NAIA complex. "Having only one international runway could not only result in delays for both incoming and outgoing international flights but also jeopardize the safety of planes," John Batacan, SOS director, said.

Batacan said when there is an accident on the runway, which has happened in the past, the closure would affect both international and domestic arrivals and departures.

Earlier, Capt. Amado H. Soliman Jr., president of the Aviation Safety Foundation, warned that the short centerline distance between the international taxiway and the runway at the Terminal 3 complex does not conform to international standards.

"The international taxiway has a centerline distance of only 150 meters from the runway centerline. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards call for 182 meters. With the arrival of the super jumbos, the distance will go up to 192 meters. Hence, big jets on the taxiway pose a hazard to taking off or landing jumbos," Soliman said.

Joseph, Bognot and Batacan said with the government plan to buy out the shares of Fraport AG in Piatco, it should also look at factors "outside of the airport" that would attract tourists.

They said the government should address the heavy traffic in Pasay and Parañaque cities, the heaps of garbage on roadsides, busted lampposts, flooding, squatter colonies, beggars and potholed roads. They added that there is still no access road from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, making it difficult for international passengers to transfer to the domestic airport.

"We should look at the total picture, not only on airport complex, to attract visitors and have a positive image abroad," the group stressed.

The group said Piatco has been harping on the new airport’s world-class standards, but this will be for naught unless the government addresses the factors affecting tourism like peace and order, infrastructure, accessibility of tourism destinations and image.