A group of experts from Singapore’s Changi airport is determining the scope of work needed for the rehabilitation of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA 1) in Manila.
The six-man team led by Changi Airports International senior vice president Jose Pantangco arrived in the country last Monday.
Early this month, the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said it was looking at Changi Airport as a model for the improvement of NAIA Terminal 1.
The Philippine facility recently received a P1.1-billion budget for structural and aesthetical improvements.
“We recognize Changi Airport’s international reputation as the number one airport in the world. This gives us confidence that cooperating with Changi Airport will reap positive results, particularly in line with our goal of delivering an efficient, distinctively Filipino, and customer-friendly airport for all travelers who will use NAIA T1 in the near future,” Transport Secretary Manuel Roxas II said in a recent statement.
“This is just the initial step we are undertaking to identify key areas at T1 that urgently need rehabilitation from an international point of view.”
The Changi team, composed of technical managers in airport passenger and cargo flow systems, terminal design, electromechanical engineering, architecture, and commercial revenue research, will help the country maximize the potential of the terminal to service its current and future customers better.
The group will also assist the Manila International Airport Authority build up its maintenance capacities; upgrade the airport to globally accepted standards; and explore options to further expand the current traffic of 7 million passengers per annum.
The P1.1-billion facelift covers structural retrofitting, electro-mechanical engineering, and interior design for areas needing rehabilitation.
About P500 million will be used to fund aesthetic and interior design, specifically the replacement of flooring, ceilings, walls and partitions. More than half of immigration counters will be replaced.
Another P300 million will be used to construct a rapid exit taxi way to relieve runway congestion and minimize passenger delay; P20 million will be for repair and rehabilitation of 72 toilets.
Man Walking In Airport Escalator by Ikinu http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=3287
