The Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) is planning to reconfigure the terminals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to improve the hub’s operations and lessen queuing of passengers.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told participants at the United Portusers Logistics Summit on June 22 that the agency intends to turn Terminals 2 and 4 into dedicated domestic terminals.
He noted that at Terminal 2, the few immigration booths there usually attract queues, and facilities such as restrooms cannot be expanded. This is because the building is actually designed as a domestic terminal.
Terminal 2 is currently used by flag carrier Philippine Airlines for both its foreign and domestic flights.
Terminal 4, also called the old domestic terminal, hosts three local airlines.
Tugade said that under the plan, Terminals 1 and 3 will remain as international terminals.
Shift in policy
Earlier, DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo said the department has set aside unsolicited proposals for the construction of new air hubs in Metro Manila in order to focus on short-term measures for improving NAIA’s operations.
One of these measures is to develop Sangley airport in Cavite so it can accommodate the general aviation aircraft and turboprops that will be removed from NAIA.
Aside from the NAIA development, Tugade assured that other programs for the aviation industry will be pursued. One of them is the night-rating of airports. There are now 12 or 13 night-rated airports in the country, up from seven at the start of the new administration.
Tugade said the plan is to “make all operating airports to be night-rated” so “mobility is enhanced, connectivity is created.”
Night-rating of airports allows airlines to fly even after sunset so carriers won’t be limited to daylight operations.
The new Communications Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System, which features aircraft transponders that receive satellite signals and use transponder transmissions to determine the precise location of aircraft in the sky, will be operational before the year ends.
The system includes a central traffic control complex housed at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines office in Pasay, and 10 radar sites covering the entire Philippine Flight Information Region.
The state-of-the-art system, which was partly funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency, was initially scheduled to start operating this month. – Roumina Pablo
