Marina to open applications for Sangley airport ferry service

MANILA -- The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is set to open applications for the operations of the ferry service going to the Sangley airport in Cavite province in line with the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) initiative to transfer general aviation flights out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Marina officer-incharge Administrator Narciso Vingson Jr. said the agency is eyeing to privatize the operations of the ferry service.

“We will privatize it. We will reopen the route and according to the Secretary, it will be open for everybody,” Vingson said in an interview with reporters last week.

The Marina will coordinate with aviation sector officials to set the schedule for the opening of the transportation service.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said a ferry connecting area of Sangley in Cavite and Manila through Manila Bay can be used if some flights would be transferred to Sangley airport.

Tugade said the location of the boarding area for the ferry will be determined by the Philippine Navy based on safety and security considerations.

The department is also considering to launch a point to point (P2P) bus service from NAIA to Sangley airport to assist passengers, he said.

Airline companies have recently agreed to use the Sangley airport for general aviation and turboprop operations to decongest the NAIA as soon as the infrastructure is in place.

General aviation users will be notified within a year to relocate to the Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga and Sangley airport to ease congestion in the four ter

minals of NAIA and allow for improvements in its main gateway.

Tugade has ordered the 24/7 construction of the facilities of Sangley airport through hiring additional manpower, extension of work hours, and the infusion of additional equipment to comply with the November deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte to start its operations. (PNA)