Better airport cargo service blocked by court

Talk of the town the past couple of days are the changes happening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) now that tycoon Ramon S. “RSA” Ang’s consortium has taken over the operations of the country’s main gateway.

The Ang-led New NAIA Infra Corp., which includes Incheon International Airport Corp., has been implementing changes and, not surprisingly, it has ruffled some feathers, as it is with any system undergoing reforms.

Some complained about the removal of the NAIA escort service or VIP passes as I earlier reported in this column, which was actually a good move as it was meant to prevent smuggling. And then there’s the increase in parking rates which was likewise meant to smoothen the flow of traffic in the different terminals.

Actually, a day after overnight parking rates shot up, I passed by Terminal 3 and noticed that traffic was indeed significantly better. One by one, NNIC is addressing the problems.

Another challenge

Against this backdrop, there’s another problem that NNIC must resolve – airport cargo service.

Unfortunately, a challenge has emerged after a Parañaque court barred the opening of a new gate at NAIA, which was approved by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in December last year.

The new gate, which provides access to an airport ramp, was meant to make the flow of cargo at NAIA more efficient. How so? The goods stored in warehouses of cargo companies would reach the aircraft faster via the airport ramp. Without it, cargo movement will be slow and hampered, if at all.

Furthermore, the new gate would have allowed more cargo companies to serve the roughly 30 airlines that operate at NAIA.

MIAA said the new gate was “aimed at the public purpose of upgrading and providing safe, efficient and reliable airport facilities for international and domestic travel.”

The new gate with ramp access, it added, would facilitate the “movement of cargo between warehouses and aircraft… (and) to meet deadlines and mitigate delays, especially with respect to time-sensitive goods such as perishable items, medical supplies and urgent shipments.”

It would benefit passengers, too. This is because if the flow of cargo is smooth, the goods would reach the airplane sooner, enabling it to depart on time.

In effect, the MIAA said the new gate with ramp access would “benefit not only cargo operators, the airport management, but ultimately the general flying public.”

Court injunction

Unfortunately for our airport authorities, a Parañaque court acted on a June 3, 2024 complaint filed by a representative of Kapisanan ng mga Nagtitiis na Mananakay and another individual who claimed the project is an “illegal alienation…of public property.”

A puzzled MIAA, in its reply to the court, said there was no sale of a public property involved. Instead, there’s only the opening of a new gate with ramp access for better cargo service.

The construction of an access gate, MIAA added in its reply, also does not diminish the public character of the airport grounds, as such facility is precisely geared toward and intended to amplify the very public purpose for which MIAA and the NAIA exist.

The court, however, would hear none of it, issuing a temporary restraining order on June 19 and a writ of preliminary injunction on July 29.

Timing

Without the new gate, some cargo companies aren’t able to serve a bigger market compared to other players which have their own direct ramps.

Aviation sources say that the timing of the injunction is important because close to 40 foreign airlines usually sign multi-cargo contracts in the last quarter of every year or from October to December this year.

For sure, the airlines would choose those cargo companies with better access from their warehouses to the aircraft.

As it is now, because of the injunction, some of the affected cargo handlers have to transport their cargo through public roads since they don’t have ramp access.

This poses security risks, that’s why the foreign airlines want them to have ramp access first before they can be considered.

If a new gate is opened, airlines and brokers would have more options for their cargo requirements.

Reforms

Actually, in 2020, another major ground handler, which had a ramp access between its warehouse and the aircraft area, was also slapped with a TRO and injunction following a complaint filed by a resident.

One can’t help but wonder why it’s such a challenge to reform our main gateway.

Clearly, there are vested interests at the airport, which is one of the reasons why NAIA has been tagged among the worst in the world.

Now that RSA is in charge, he will have to deal with all these moving parts and with the way things are going, it seems the consortium has hit the ground running.

NAIA, if successfully rehabilitated, will be part of the legacy of President Marcos, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and RSA himself.

Regional cargo hub

Improving cargo service at NAIA must be part of this rehabilitation.

Singapore, for instance, is already developing a second logistics park at Changi Airport as it positions itself as a regional air cargo hub.

Hopefully, like Singapore, we can also be a hub for air cargo in the region. For this to happen, our airport authorities must make sure that vested interests of certain sectors don’t get in the way.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.