A consortium of seven conglomerates on Tuesday said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport could become the next Edsa if the government will not act quickly on its proposal to rehabilitate and expand Manila’s international gateway.
“Naia is a must-solve-now challenge. The country cannot wait. We hope the government can expedite the approval process so we can start re-building our gateway and giving passengers an experience they only enjoy when abroad,” Naia Consortium spokesperson Jimbo Reverente said, referring to the monstrous traffic in premier highway Edsa.
The group has a pending proposal to expand and improve Naia.
Reverente said the consortium must get the notice to proceed from the government by late this year to deliver the project.
The consortium’s members are Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
The proposal involves expanding and interconnecting the existing terminals of Naia, upgrading airside facilities and developing commercial facilities to increase airline and airport efficiencies, enhance passenger comfort and experience and improve public perception of Naia as the country’s premier international gateway.
The group proposed a 35-year concession period and committed to spend P100 billon for Phase 1 and P250 billion for Phase 2.
The all-Filipino consortium, consisting of seven of the largest corporations in the country, proposes to raise Naia’s terminal capacity of 31 million to 47 million in two years, or in 2020, and to 65 million in four years, or 2022.
“Clearly, Naia is a lifeline for the countryside. Tourism is one of the ways the government can achieve its goal of making the country’s growth more inclusive. The bigger and better Naia is, the better for everybody all over the country,” Reverente said.
He cited a study by Oxford Economics and the International Air Transport Association that said the local aviation sector contributed 3.2 percent or more than $9 billion of the country’s 2014 gross domestic product and generated a total of 1.2 million jobs.
The sector had grown since then and Naia must grow as well to keep driving growth, he said, adding that time was running out to prevent “Naia from becoming the next Edsa.”
Oxford said 38.8 million flew through Naia in 2014 and 42 million in 2017. Passenger traffic in Naia is expected to hit 44 million this year.
“In all those years, Naia’s terminal capacity remained constrained at 31 million. If we want air transport to create more economic wealth and generate more jobs, we have to expand, upgrade and improve Naia now, not later,” he said.
The Oxford study said of the 1.2 million jobs created in 2014, close to a million came from tourism.