The proposal, worth at least US$6.8 billion, aims to transform the aging gateway into a world-class regional aviation hub.
The Philippines’ main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), may receive a massive upgrade after a consortium of some of the country’s biggest developers submitted a proposal to the government.
The proposal, worth at least US$6.8 billion, aims to transform the aging gateway into a world-class regional aviation hub.
The consortium includes Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., owned by Philippine Airlines (PAL) chairman Lucio Tan, JG Summit Holdings, Inc., owned by Cebu Pacific Airways chairman John Gokongwei Jr., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., controlled by Ayala Corp. which also owns Ayala Hotels and Resorts, and Alliance Global Group, which owns the Resorts World chain in the Philippines.
The consortium has tapped Changi Airport Group for technical support in master-planning, operations optimisation and commercial development at NAIA.
A statement said the project would be undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 covers improvements and the expansion of terminals in the current NAIA land area, while phase 2 involves the development of an additional runway, taxiways, passenger terminals and related support infrastructure.
The proposal also includes a “people mover” to link all three international terminals and connect NAIA to the existing mass transport system in Metro Manila. There is also an option for a third runway.
The proposal, classified as “unsolicited” under a government policy that covers private sector-initiated public infrastructure projects, will compete with another proposal to develop a US$10-billion international airport complex in Bulacan, a province about 50 kilometres north of Metro Manila.
The proposed Bulacan airport complex is backed by one of the country’s biggest companies, the San Miguel Corp.