FREEING up more space in Manila in the shortest possible time requires the government to spend as much as P700 million to rehabilitate the existing airport in Sangley.
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo said the government has programmed such amount to address the congestion problem of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
“We have the go signal for the development of Sangley. We’ll be spending about P600 million to P700 million. It’s just the military base. There will be no reclamation and no seaport,” Tamayo said.
By restoring the existing runway and airport in Sangley, Tamayo said the government will be able to move the general aviation flights and commercial turboprop operations in the area, thereby freeing up space in slot-constrained Naia.
There are 25 general aviation operators in the Naia, according to data from the Manila International Airport Authority.
Airlines operating turboprop aircraft include Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirSwift, among others.
“By moving general aviation and turboprops in Sangley, we will be able to reduce the aircraft operating in Manila, hence, the Naia’s operations will be better,” Tamayo added.
He noted, however, that the unsolicited proposals to build an airport that will replace the Naia are still being considered, no matter the government’s planned development for Sangley.
“The proposals are still being considered, but they are not immediate. They are more of medium-term solutions. What we need now is a short term one—something that will decongest Manila immediately because that’s our main problem,” Tamayo said.
There are two parties also submitted their own unsolicited proposals for the development of a new international gateway.
Solar Group-led All-Asia Resources & Reclamation Corp., and partners Belle Corp. and China Communications Construction Co., announced they plan to spend $20 billion to build an airport in an area in Sangley Point, Cavite.
Its plan involves the reclamation of 2,500 hectares of land near a naval and air base at Sangley Point. The project includes a new airport for up to 90 million passengers per year. The existing Naia airport will be replaced by new urban development.
According to a study conducted by Danish consulting engineering company Ramboll Group, the new airport, when built, will have two parallel runways to secure future capacity, three terminal spaces, a reserved space for cargo and maintenance facilities.
San Miguel Corp.’s $10-billion proposal involves the construction of a 1,600-hectare international gateway somewhere in the south of Metro Manila. The airport, which would have doubled the capacity of the Naia, would have included the construction of a low-cost carrier terminal, a train system and a dedicated tollway.
“These have to take a backseat for because we need to improve Manila and Clark first,” Tamayo said.
The government is currently in the process of building a new passenger terminal in the Clark International Airport Complex.
Air transport stimulates economic growth, generating almost 1.44 million jobs in the Philippines, and increasing the GDP by $9.8 billion, including benefits to the tourism sector.
1 comment
We are all for improving the Airport Infrastructure. SANGLEY is a good starting point. The rehab of Sangley Point should have no consequence to the submitted offers on the table. The private proponents will spend their own money at their own risks all the govt needs to do is buy a stamp and get these projects approved .Maybe All Asia and SMC submit a bid the givt can not refuse. Pay for the 700M and approve our projects.