Government urged: Add more NAIA runways, not terminals

MANILA, Philippines - The government should upgrade airport infrastructures including constructing new runways, before it even considers building new passenger terminals at the already congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), a senior administration lawmaker said yesterday.

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian issued the statement following reports the government is mulling the construction of new terminals to accommodate 50 million passengers annually since NAIA’s four passenger terminals was designed to have a capacity of 31 million passengers every year.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines deputy director general Rodante Joya had said NAIA was already nearing its “saturation point” as the current passenger load is only about 33 million passengers yearly.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has also tapped British firm NATS in a 12-month contract worth P66 million to boost hourly air traffic movement from the present 40 to 60 by “determining the optimal configuration for the airport’s intersecting runways.” 

“Although the DOTC’s move to consult NATS in order to increase air traffic movement without improving the aviation infrastructure is laudable, the wiser move for the government is to expand aviation infrastructure,” he said. 

Gatchalian, vice chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, said upgrading the airport by adding more runways would not only allow NAIA to accommodate more air traffic movements but also the speedier movement of people and goods.            – Paolo Romero

“Building more terminals to increase passenger capacity will not provide a permanent solution to air traffic congestion; it will only increase the number of angry passengers waiting for their already-delayed flights,” he said. 

The lawmaker cited persistent media reports of flight delays averaging 150 to 200 a day, wasting some P7 billion worth of fuel annually.  

Gatchalian also moved for the construction of a monorail connected to NAIA terminals to not only ease vehicle traffic around the airport but also to make traveling to and from the airport of passengers faster and more convenient.

Gatchalian suggested that the government look at monorails built in other countries like Japan’s Tokyo Monorail and Osaka Monorail, New Jersey’s AirTrain Newark, and Germany’s SkyTrain.