Super consortium formed to rehab NAIA

Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group, Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. have all agreed to form a consortium to rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) through an unsolicited proposal which it plans to submit to the Department of Transportation.

Numerous foreign and local experts have highlighted the advantage of keeping an airport within city limits. Like other major cities in the world, experts recommend an in-city airport and another one outside the metropolis to complement it. Megacities that benefit from a two-airport setup include Tokyo (Haneda and Narita) and London (Gatwick and Heathrow).

The consortium believes that the NAIA will continue to be a strategic gateway for our country and a key hub of airline operations for many more years. The consortium will work with foreign technical partners with proven world class track records and experiences in airport operations to improve, upgrade, and enhance the operational efficiencies of NAIA covering both landside and airside facilities.

Given proper upgrades and strategic improvements, NAIA can easily accommodate an additional 11 million passengers annually from the current 39.5 million passengers, and can increase its hourly aircraft movements (landing and take-off) from 40 movements per hour to 48 movements per hour.

The unsolicited proposal is intended to help accelerate the government’s “Build Build Build” program. Augmenting NAIA’s capacity is the quickest way to address airport congestion while other airports are being developed outside Metro Manila. The consortium believes that this approach promotes greater economic benefit and sustainability for the whole country. /