The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said over the weekend it does not expect any loss of jobs once the government turned over the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to the winning bidder by September 2024.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the agency was looking at three to six months for the turnover of operations and management to the private concessionaire. He said “all employees will be given an offer” to keep their jobs.
Bautista said the DOTr aimed to open the financial bids for NAIA on Feb. 14 and issue the notice of award by Feb. 15.
“The signing of the concession agreement is on March 15,” he said.
The Manila International Airport Consortium, Asian Airport Consortium, GMR Airport Consortium and SMC SAP & Co. Consortium submitted bids for the NAIA rehabilitation project.
Once the airport is turned over to the winning bidder, its capacity is expected to increase to 60 million passengers annually.
The DOTr and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will serve as co-grantors for the project, which would have a 15-year concession period and an option for a 10-year extension.
The project involves capital investment to improve the airport’s facilities to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other internationally accepted standards. This includes modernizing the terminals; optimizing and enhancing the capacity of the airport to 62 million passengers a year; enhancing asset quality and passenger experience; improving the information and technology systems infrastructure; and ensuring reliable operations over the period of the concession.
The concessionaire will also be responsible for both landside and airside operations of the NAIA.
