Philippine Airlines (PAL) is reviving an earlier proposal to build a new annex building at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 in a bid to accommodate growing passenger volumes.
PAL president Jaime Bautista said the proposal, similar to a 2015 plan, will see the construction of a new passenger terminal with a yearly capacity of 12 million to 15 million. The flag carrier’s flights have been exclusively housed in Terminal 2 since 1992.
Bautista said the proposed project will help decongest Terminal 2, which had surpassed its annual capacity of 30,000 passengers in 2012 and is now accommodating 42,000 passengers a year.
The project will have aerobridges capable of serving 12 to 17 wide-bodied and single-aisle jets, and feature an 89,000-square-meter air terminal located north of Terminal 2.
It will also include multilevel parking for 1,000 vehicles, a new cargo terminal, and ground service facilities.
For this project, PAL needs to lease additional land around the NAIA complex. On top of its existing lease of 18 hectares, it needs an additional 5 hectares from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and 10 hectares from the Manila International Airport Authority grounds.
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo is reportedly studying the proposal.
Bautista said that PAL will need partners for the project, but that the carrier has not yet started talks with potential partners.
Aside from the project proposal, the company has also taken early steps to help decongest NAIA.
“We’re already building up a new network of local and regional flights from Clark, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Davao, Caticlan, and Kalibo,” Bautista said.
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