GMR-Megawide submits $3-B proposal for NAIA rehab

Listed construction and engineering firm Megawide Construction Corp. and its consortium partner Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd. on Thursday submitted a $3-billion unsolicited propsosal for the rehabilitation and decongestion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a regulatory filing submitted by the Megawide, the listed engineering firm described the proposal as an "alternative solution" to decongest NAIA.

It said that representatives of the GMR-Megawide consortium noted that the proposal is "aligned with the government’s strategy to develop a sustainable multi-airport system in the Philippines."

“As an experienced private operator, we have a deep understanding of the problem experienced by NAIA and we would like offer our take on the solution,” said Louie Ferrer, one of the consortium’s authorized representatives.

“Our team has transformed Delhi International Airport, previously one of the world’s worst airports, into one that is consistently named among top five best airports of the world. We have also transformed Mactan-Cebu International Airport, one of the Philippines’ previously overlooked airports, into the 2016 Best Regional Airport in Asia Pacific. We hope to contribute our knowledge from these projects to the development of our country’s main gateway,” Ferrer said.

GMR-Megawide is the consortium that bagged the maintenance, operation, and rehabilitation of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

In its proposal, pegged at $3 billion, GMR-Megawide plans to construct full-length parallel taxiways for both of NAIA's runways, construct an additional rapid-exit taxiways for the primary runway, extend the secondary runway, and  provide the maximum number of aircraft stands.

GMR-Megawide said the solutions will increase airfield capacity to 950 to 1,000 aircraft movements per day, a 30-35 percent increase from the current 730 aircraft a daily.

For peak hours, the consortium will increase NAIA’s aircraft handling capacity by 50 percent, from 40 to 60 percent.

"Within 24 months of taking over operations, the consortium also plans to rehabilitate and expand the existing terminals, which will roughly double the space and result in over 700,000 square meters of terminal area," the consortium said.

Once completed, both the airside facilities and the terminals shall be able to handle a total annual throughput of 72 million passengers.

GMR-Megawide also proposed an 18-year concession term for the NAIA.

GMR-Megawide submitted the proposal weeks after seven of the biggest Philippine companies filed a P350-billion proposal to rehabilitate NAIA and tapped the assistance of Singapore's Changi airport. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/642684/lsquo-super-consortium-rsquo-taps-singapore-airport-operator-for-naia-rehab-bid/story/

Members of the so-called "super consortium" are conglomerates Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Alliance Global Group Inc., Ayala Corporation, Filinvest Development Corporation, JG Summit Holdings Inc., and LT Group Inc. — MDM, GMA News