With the looming privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), it will soon be world-class, made possible through the government’s partnership with the private sector, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday said.

“Once considered as among the worst and most stressful airports in the world, it will soon be a world-class international airport that we can be proud of,” Marcos stressed in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

The San Miguel Corp.-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) will operate and maintain the country’s main gateway beginning September, after bagging the PHP170.6 billion public-private partnership (PPP) modernization project for NAIA rehabilitation.

Through the government’s partnership with the consortium, NAIA is now primed for revitalization, Marcos said. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is the airport’s current operator.

The NAIA PPP, according to Marcos, will go down in the country’s history, not only as among the largest and fastest approved PPP projects but one “that has set the bar in terms of openness, transparency and competitiveness of the process.”

Through the partnership with the private sector, NAIA is expected to improve its appearance and services starting next year, he said.

Soon it will be capable of accommodating 48 flights per hour, servicing the ever-increasing local and international flight routes, and catering to more than 62 million passengers per year, he continued.

“Thanks to Congress. The public-private partnership, as a crucial funding mechanism for big ticket-projects, is now institutionalized by force of law. PPP is seen to facilitate strategic investments and the timely development of projects under Build Better More program ,” he said.

In a previous interview with the Philippine News Agency, MIAA acting General Manager Eric Ines acknowledged NAIA’s need to be privatized, citing the many things to be improved such as the terminals, taxiways, runways, equipment, and old buildings.

He said MIAA’s budget was too small since fixing the country’s main gateway requires a massive amount.

The agreement with the NNIC, signed last March 18, initially covers 15 years and could be extended by 10 years. The group, composed of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics Inc., RLW Aviation Development Inc., and Incheon International Airport Corp., won the PPP project by offering the biggest revenue share of 82.16 percent to the government.

Meanwhile, the administration continues to improve other airports across the country for the benefit of the passengers.

Marcos said more than 70 airport and seaport development projects across the country have been completed, and another 350 ongoing projects are set to be completed by 2028.

He cited as examples the passenger terminal buildings of General Santos Airport and Bicol International Airport, which have increased by 300 and 500 percent, now catering to 2,000 and 1,600. (PNA) 

Photo credit: Facebook/MIAAGovPH