DOTC taps JICA for new airport study

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has tapped the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to determine the feasible location of a new airport that would either augment or replace the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)

In an interview on the sidelines of the 39th Philippine Business Conference and Expo, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the Aquino administration has asked JICA to do a study on the possible replacement for NAIA.

“This early we have requested JICA to do a study for a NAIA replacement airport. The basic parameter is that it should be 20 minutes away from the metropolis,” Abaya stressed.

He pointed out that the agency has already presented two options to President Aquino as Malacañang is inclined to adopt the dual or twin airport system than a single airport system.

The first option, he said, is to develop Clark International Airport in Pampanga, maximize the runway and terminal capacity of the 32-year old NAIA, and put up a new airport that would replace the congested international gateway.

The option also involves the closure and the sale of the existing NAIA.

On the other hand, Abaya said the second option entails the operation of the Clark International airport, NAIA, and the new airport.

“We are going up to the President to get a final decision. We are now master planning Clark. We will invest in Clark but we won’t put all our eggs in Clark but we will make sure that we will stunt the growth in Clark. In NAIA, we will maximize runway capacity and terminal capacity and eventually we will hit a ceiling in NAIA either in 2018 or 2020,” he added.

The DOTC chief said JICA would help immediately determine the feasible location of the new international airport as it would take at least 10 years to build the new facility.

“One good example is Sangley in Cavite. That is only one of the areas being considered, there are other areas. It should be determined right away so we can start the construction. It takes maybe 10 years to build an airport,” he added.

As early as May, the government decided to adopt a dual airport system by upgrading NAIA and develop Clark while building an alternate international gateway within Metro Manila.

The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is completing the P360 million expansion of the existing terminal and is set to put up a P7.2 billion budget terminal.