Chelsea, Mega7 airport proposals get DOTr endorsement

Dennis Uy’s Chelsea Logistics Corp. and Mega7 Construction Corp. has received backing from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for their unsolicited proposals to develop and operate provincial airports in Visayas and Mindanao, respectively, while a proposal from the Aboitiz Group remains under evaluation.

Transportation Undersecretary Ruben Reinoso Jr. told The

STAR that the agency’s planning office has endorsed last week to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) the proposals for the Kalibo and Davao airports, while that for the Panglao airport is still under review.

Chelsea has submitted an unsolicited proposal for the Davao International Airport, while Mega7 offered to upgrade, maintain, and operate the Kalibo International Airport.

“We asked CAAP to consider the proposals and evaluate the benefits,” Reynoso said.

“The planning office just provided CAAP our preliminary evaluation for them to consider. It’s CAAP’s board decision since they have jurisdiction,” he said.

Both Aboitiz and Chelsea have each submitted earlier bundled unsolicited proposals for a number of the country’s regional airports, but was rejected by the DOTr due to a change in policy direction.

The agency has instead asked the groups to unbundle their proposals given that many of the airports can stand on their own, resulting to Aboitiz choosing the New Bohol International Airport in Panglao and Chelsea picking the Davao International Airport.

After submitting their initial offers, both firms were asked to revise and resubmit their proposals.

Mega7’s earlier proposal, meanwhile, was also rejected by the government as the proponent lacked experience in airport development, operations, and maintenance.