Alvarez: Airport execs have 45 days to clear congestion

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday issued a 45-day ultimatum for airport and airline authorities to decongest the country’s air terminals, and threatened to cancel the legislative franchises of local carriers found to be causing the congestion.

Alvarez, a former transportation secretary, issued the warnings during the hearing of the Committee on Transportation on a resolution calling on the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to present a program for a safe, efficient and comfortable passenger service.

Annoyed by the problems affecting passengers, Alvarez directed the MIAA and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to take appropriate steps to decongest passenger and air traffic.

“Our directive is in 45 days, they should remedy the distribution of terminal use. If the traffic is full, they should reject,” he said.

In a press conference after hearing, Alvarez said the transportation sector’s mandate to ensure “safety, comfort and convenience” in air travel is being ignored because the country allows the mixed use of terminals.

Airports designed for domestic traffic also handle international airports while those designed for international flights permit domestic travel, he said.

To address the problem, Alvarez suggested that flights be reassigned to Clark in Pampanga.

Alvarez singled out Cebu Pacific as one of the airlines that do not follow its mandate in order to gain more profit.

He said passengers are forced to take long walks because the airline tries to cut expenses by not using the airport’s passenger bridges.

Alvarez gave MIAA General Manager Eddie Monreal 45 days to implement the directive.

He he invited the chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Franchise to the hearing to show that he was serious in pushing for the cancellation of the franchise granted erring airlines.

Cebu Pacific President Lance Gokongwei who was at the House hearing, promised to comply with the speaker’s order but pleaded for at least a year to carry it out.

“Given the way we sell tickets one year in advance and also the time it requires to move all our people and (do) the ground preparations, I think these drastic steps may take over a year of planning,” Gokongwei said.