DOTr chief: With new airports nearby, gov't can choose to close NAIA

The government may have the option to close the Ninoy Aquino International Airport when the proposed gateways in Bulacan and Cavite become operational, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Wednesday.

“Halimbawang magkaroon ng bagong airport[s], the government can decide to close MIA (Manila International Airport) kasi it can be a very valuable asset of the government,” Bautista told reporters at a briefing in Pasay City.

(If there'd be new airports, the government can decide to close MIA (Manila International Airport) because it can be a very valuable asset of the government.)

“Although possible pa rin ituloy ang operations ng Manila International Airport dahil napakagandang location nito sa Metro Manila… What I can say is lumalaki naman ang demand eh,” Bautista said.

The Transport chief said that the Bulacan airport, for example, could still “operate profitably” while NAIA was still operational.

“Posible isara, posible ring hindi isara,” Bautista said.

(It's possible to close. It's also possible to remain open.)

To recall, the provincial government of Cavite has awarded the $11-billion contract to redevelop Sangley Airport into an international gateway to a consortium composed of Cavitex Holdings Inc., the Yuchengco Group, Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp., Samsung C&T Corp, Munich Airport International GmbH, and Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited.

On the other hand, San Miguel Corp. is building the P740-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project in Bulacan.

Both airports are seen to decongest the NAIA.

Bautista, however, said the NAIA could still operate ,while the Sangley and Bulacan airports would cater to air passengers to give travelers the choice of where they would want to land or depart.

Privatization

While the new airports are being constructed, Bautista said the government may start negotiations for the privatization of NAIA.

“We have worked with the Asian Development Bank for the preparation of the terms of reference for the privatization of the Manila International Airport,” Bautista said.

“We hope that the terms of reference will be available by the first quarter of 2023 so we can entertain proposals from interested parties,” he added.

During the previous administration, two major proposals were made to rehabilitate the airport, one from the NAIA Consortium which included Tan’s Asia’s Emerging Dragon, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., Filinvest Development Corp., and JG Summit Holdings Inc.

The Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp. was also part of the consortium until it pulled out in March.

Another proposal was submitted by a consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd.

The proposals of the NAIA Consortium and the Megawide consortium were eventually rejected by the government.

In opening the NAIA for privatization, Bautista said the government “will see to it na we will attend to the requirement of the private sector na ‘yung kanilang investment will be worth it.”

“Meaning they should be able to earn a reasonable [amount] of their investment. We’ll make it investor friendly. ‘Yung environment natin should be investor friendly hindi lang what is good for the government, but what is good for the passengers and what is good for the private sector,” he said.

The Transportation chief disclosed that several parties have already expressed intent to bid for the privatization of NAIA.

“Of course, I told them tapusin muna natin ang terms of reference. Kasi ang terms of reference will define what we want for the airport. I always tell them that when we modernize our airports it should conform with global standards,” Bautista said. —NB, GMA Integrated News