Consortium cuts period, cost for proposed NAIA rehab

THE CONSORTIUM formed by some of the country’s conglomerates has submitted a revised proposal to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), cutting the project duration from 35 years to 15 years.

Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo told reporters in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City on Monday that his department told the consortium, which submitted a P350billion unsolicited proposal in February for NAIA’s modernization, to trim the duration of the airport’s rehabilitation to 12-15 years and adjust the cost accordingly.

“The original proposal involved an additional runway,” Mr. Tamayo recalled.

“It’s P106 or P105 billion na lang [only now]. Before, maglalagay ng additional runway kaya [they were supposed to build an additional runway; that’s why] it was super expensive. And they needed 35 years just to recover. Since it was shortened, it (additional runway) is just now an option just in case, in the future.”

He added, the revised proposal will be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority for final approval.

The NAIA consortium is composed of seven of the country’s biggest firms, namely: Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.; Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp.; Filinvest Development Corp.; JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Changi Airports International Private Ltd. from Singapore will serve as the consortium’s technical partner.

Its competition is the tandem of Megawide Construction Corp. and Indian company GMR Infrastructure Ltd. that submitted a $3-billion, 18-year unsolicited proposal last March , cheaper and shorter than the NAIA consortium’s first proposal. US- based The MITRE Corp. is its technical partner.

GMR-Megawide has opposed the consortium’s plan to change its original proposal, saying in a press statement late in March: “If it is the intent of the NAIA consortium to tweak their proposal, it should be properly revised and re- submitted to the government.”

“It also follows that this resubmitted proposal should be evaluated after the GMR-Megawide proposal,” the tandem had said at that time.

In the proposal, GMR-Megawide team plans to add airport capacity to handle 72 million passengers annually.

NAIA handled 42 million passengers last year, way beyond its 30.5 million designed capacity.

GMR- Megawide said it will increase airfield capacity to 9501,000 aircraft movements per day from 730 currently, and terminal area to more than 700,000 square meters.

Aside from adding a third runway, the original proposal of the NAIA consortium sought to expand terminals and add new taxiways. It said it aimed to increase the capacity of NAIA to 47 million passengers in two years and 65 million in four years.

The two rivals are now awaiting original proponent status to undertake this project. Once it is granted, the winning proposal will be subjected to a Swiss challenge, whereby other firms may seek to match it. But as original proponent, the group will have the advantage of presenting a counterproposal. —