Mactan airport doesn’t need another runway — GMR exec

CEBU, Philippines - The winning bidder of the multi-million peso Mactan Cebu International Airport expansion project yesterday revealed that efficient handling of up to 35 million  passengers is necessary than the construction of a second runway.

Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, deputy CEO of GMR Infrastructure Ltd., reacted to the issue The Freeman and Philippine STAR columnist Valeriano “Bobit” Avila raised during the 888 News Forum held recently at the Marco Polo Plaza, that a second runway had long been proposed but fell on deaf ears. Avila was a member of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority Board of Directors for 15 years.

According to Harrison, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) set the bid only for the terminal operation, concessions, ground handling and other elements to ensure service standard will be maintained and delivered by the operators.

Harrison however said it does not mean the government is precluded from undertaking another runway in the airport.

He said a second runway is required for traffic volume above 35 million passengers.

“A single runway airport can cater 35 million (of) passengers from many airports in the world,” Harrison said.

He cited the airport in the United Kingdom as the most efficient single runway airport in the world with 55 take offs and landings every hour.

“They key is actually the efficiency of the aircraft system and the procedures,” Harrison said.

The New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport now handles 76 movements an hour from 34 movements an hou r in 2006 before GMR came in, he said.

“There are many things that can be done, procedurally and in terms of efficiency that will address the issue of runway efficiency,” said Harrison, whose company is in consortium agreement with Megawide Construction Corp. that won in P17.5 billion MCIA Public Private Partnership rehabilitation project.

He added that of the top 10 performing airports in the world nowadays based on Airport Standard Quality rating, New Delhi has the only private operator.

The Indian airport, he said, has 35 million passengers.

“For the privatization and the development of a terminal which was needed a long time ago there is no need to wait for a runway to be built for that to be done, this can still happen either simultaneously parallel but there is no need for the process to be halted for that,” Harrison said. — (FREEMAN)