Filtered By: Money
Money

DOTC eyes new international airport outside Metro Manila 


The Department of Transportation and Communications is considering building a new international airport to handle an expected three-fold increase in passengers by 2040.
 
Citing a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the number of passengers in the greater capital region is expected to hit 106.7 million by 2040 from 31.88 million in 2012.
 
In anticipation of the increase in passsengers, Abaya said the government has identified two feasible options that involve the expansion of Clark International Airport (CIA) as well as the development of a new international airport around 20 to 30 minutes away from Metro Manila.
 
“We will present two options for modernizing our gateway airport system, which will show the world that we are preparing to be one of the top global tourist destinations for the next few decades,” he said.
 
One option is to close down Ninoy Aquino International Airport by 2030 after the new international airport becomes operational by 2027. The new airport will be expected to handle 78 percent of passengers while Clark International will handle the remaining 22 percent.
 
Another option is to keep NAIA operating along with CIA and the new airport.
 
Both options will be presented to President Benigno Aquino III and the DOTC will finalize plans for implementation once the gateway airport roadmap to 2040 is identified.
 
In the meantime, Abaya said, the DOTC has already started expanding Clark International Airport and the search for a site for the new international airport is already underway.
 
Clark International has already finished a 6,000-square meter expansion of its passenger terminal building. French airport operator Aeroports de Paris will, within the month, also begin preparing a master plan for a 45,000-square meter Low Cost Carrier terminal valued at P7 billion.
 
Rehabilitation work on the NAIA Terminal 1 is set to start next month while upgrades to the NAIA Terminal 3 are expected to be finished by the third quarter of 2014. — JDS, GMA News
LOADING CONTENT