The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) have officially inaugurated and commissioned the new rapid exit taxiways (RET) at the main runway of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The new RETs were formally commissioned on September 10, increasing the speed exits of the Philippines’ main gateway to four.
“Without these new RETs, aircraft that landed at the NAIA runway 06-24 [would] need to make a 90-degree turn at the end of the runway after they touch down and make a full stop before proceeding to the terminal aprons and the whole process would take about two to three minutes,” MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said.
With the new RETs, Monreal said aircraft occupancy of the runway would be reduced to about one minute per airplane.
“The new RETs were constructed at a slight angle to the runway, allowing airplanes to exit at a faster clip than before and giving the next succeeding planes [a chance] to land as soon as the preceding airplane is headed toward the RET exit,” Monreal explained.
He added that construction of the east and west RETs were carried out simultaneously and undertaken “with NAIA remaining operational and causing no interruption or danger to airport operations.”
The construction of the new RETs, which cost P309 million, entailed design parameters based on the aerodrome design manual of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The thickness of the pavement structures of the new exit taxiways was based on the requirements of new large aircraft.
The new rapid taxiways were designed with concrete pavement and asphalt shoulder and have a 20-year lifespan.
Image courtesy of Graphics Mouse at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
