All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp., a consortium led by tycoon Henry Sy and the Tieng family, said Wednesday it plans to rehabilitate Danilo Atienza Airport in Sangley Point, Cavite for small planes and low-cost carriers to free up Ninoy Aquino International Airport and allow it to have more commercial flights and less delays.
Wilson Tieng, ARRC president and chief executive, said his company submitted the proposal to the Transportation Department in August.
“We can finish the project in one year and will cost only P1 billion. This is a low-hanging fruit with significant benefits to the public since it will allow Naia to increase its runway movements from 40 takeoffs and landings per hour to around 60,” Tieng said.
The group proposed a Filipino-inspired architecture for the low-cost carrier terminal spanning 2,304 square meters which could accommodate 1.8 million passengers annually.
Tieng said the project would be good for tourism, trade and commerce aside from giving the flying public more choices on when to fly.
He said that since August when the new Naia administration imposed a ban on small private planes from 12 noon to 7 p.m., commercial flights’ on-time performance sharply improved from around 40 percent to 80 percent.
Small planes usually carry only a few and sometimes no passenger at all but need and use the same facilities and time in taxiing, queuing and taking off as a commercial flight with 300 passengers does.
Tieng said ARRC was ready to start building the new terminal and rehabilitate the runway.
“We have the funds and the technical support we need for this project. We hope to get the approval of the government soon enough,” he said.
ARCC also proposed to build Philippine Global Gateway project worth P1.3 trillion which would decongest Naia.
Under the project, ARRC plans to build an international airport, seaport, economic zone and real estate components in Sangely Point.
ARRC also proposed to reclaim 2,500 hectares at Sangley Point.
The new airport would be designed to have a capacity of 90 million passengers and would be completed in five years.
ARRC would compete with San Miguel Corp. which proposed to build a new international airport in Bulacan province, north of Manila.