Transport dep’t evaluation of NAIA rehab proposal may take 2 months

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it will take two months to evaluate a P350-billion proposal by a consortium of conglomerates to rehabilitate Ninoy Aquino International Airport ( NAIA).

Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo said that the agency will evaluate the proposal, but the Manila International Airport Authority ( MIAA) will also need to come up with its own recommendation.

“About two months,” Mr. Tamayo told reporters on Feb. 15 on the sidelines of an event when asked about the timeline for evaluating the proposal.

The “super consortium” of conglomerates Aboitiz Infra Capital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group, Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investment Corp., submitted to the government on Feb. 13 a proposal for the rehabilitation of NAIA to turn it into a regional hub.

The P350- billion project involves the improvement and expansion of the current NAIA terminals under the first phase, and the building of a second runway in the second phase, which will raise the airport’s capacity to 100 million passengers per year.

The consortium has tapped Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. to provide technical support in the areas of master planning, operations optimization and commercial development.

The DoTr has to give the proponents original proponent status (OPS) before the offer can be evaluated by the National Economic and Development Authority ( NEDA) Board. —