DOTr bares plans on P102 billion NAIA upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has bared details of the conglomerates’ P102-billion plan for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), wherein the super consortium intends to make quick work of improving and expanding the country’s main international gateway.

The DOTr said the NAIA rehabilitation project would be implemented in three phases from 2021 to 2024.

Phase 1, which will be undertaken from 2021 to 2022, involves the immediate improvements and reconfiguration of the existing airport terminals with the aim of improving NAIA’s capacity from 31 million passengers per year to 47 million.

The second phase from 2022 to 2023 will cover the development of a new passenger building (Terminal 2 Annex), the improvement of the corresponding apron area to nearly double the capacity to 21 million, and the reconfiguration and expansion of the Terminal 3 building and apron layout to increase terminal capacity to 24 million passengers per annum at the security control, baggage reclaim and boarding areas.

It will also include improvement of airside facilities including the construction of a new taxiway, and installation and upgrading of communications, navigation and surveillance equipment, and upgrading works for general utilities, car park area, passenger connections and miscellaneous facilities required for airport operations.

The third and final phase from 2023 to 2024 will see the construction of new terminals, and expansion of existing terminals as the operations and maintenance works are being carried out to increase NAIA’s capacity from 58 million passengers per year to 65 million.

Phase 3 will also see the completion of a New Terminal Annex Building, an expanded capacity of Terminal 3, development of airside facilities and upgrading works for general utilities, a car park area, passenger connection, and miscellaneous facilities corresponding to the increased capacity. 

Planning to undertake the project is the consortium of seven conglomerates namely, Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Filinvest

Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

The group’s unsolicited proposal for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the NAIA moved closer to reality after it secured last Friday the nod of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).