Airport firm readies fix for ‘abandoned’ planes
The New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC) has struggled with “abandoned” vehicles at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) ever since it started its management concession in September last year, but the problem has now become an aviation safety issue.
Last October, the concessionaire said it would tow and impound 20 cars “abandoned” at the Naia’s parking lots, some of which have been there since 2014.
On Saturday, NNIC said it would start to tackle more cases of abandoned vehicles: 27 aircraft that have been sitting idle at the airport for years, including a Boeing 737-200 that has been there since 2015 and a Cessna 421B that has been there since 2009.
NNIC did not specify the registered owners of the aircraft or how they came to be classified as “abandoned,” but NNIC said in a statement on Saturday that it repeatedly tried to resolve the matter.
The NNIC urged the aircrafts’ owners to coordinate with the concessionaire as soon as possible to verify ownership and facilitate retrieval or proper disposition.
If no action is taken, the NNIC said it will proceed with the aircraft removal and disposal in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, because it has become an aviation safety concern.
“Their continued presence limits operational capacity and poses safety and security risks,” the NNIC statement read. “Clearing these aircraft will free up space critical to improving aircraft parking and ground movement—especially as Naia continues to experience growth in traffic.”
The concessionaire earlier announced terminal reassignments and announced plans to build another terminal in Naia’s general aviation area as part of ongoing efforts to enhance safety, streamline airside operations and make better use of limited space.
Record traffic
Last year, Naia served more than 50 million passengers—an all-time high—and NNIC announced plans to build Terminal 5 at the properties of the old Philippine Village Hotel and Nayong Pilipino. It is expected to be completed by 2029.
Since it took over airport operations last year, the NNIC unveiled plans to modernize the 76-year-old airport and finally rid itself of the label of being one of the worst airports in the world.
NNIC, a consortium that includes San Miguel Corp. and Incheon International Airport Corp. of South Korea, said it would invest P170 billion over its 25-year concession period.
The concessionaire said it would fix escalators and toilets, improve air-conditioning, upgrade baggage handling, improve internet connections and hasten passenger handling with three to six months.
Within three years, the company said it would improve the runways, increase terminal capacity, provide enough commercial spaces and provide a link from Naia Terminal 3 to the Skyway system.
The plan included P1 trillion in revenues over the concession period and the government would get a revenue share of more than 80 percent every year.
But the plans to accommodate 35 million passengers annually were met with power shortages, personnel issues and other issues, like floods.
NNIC president Ramon S. Ang admitted last year that it would take time for the company to fix problems that have lingered for decades.
“We ask the public for their patience,” Ang said at the time. “This will take time, but we will work hard to make quick improvements within the first three to six months.” —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA
