Naia congestion worsens air quality

Aircraft using the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) unnecessarily emit copious amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere due to congestion at the country’s main international gateway, an airline report revealed.

More importantly, the carbon emission of aircraft operating out of Naia—or circling overhead for prolonged periods pending landing clearance—aggravates the already poor air quality of Metro Manila.

According to an internal company document obtained by the Inquirer, the fleet of Philippine Airlines alone emitted a total of 2,900 kilograms or 2.9 tons of carbon dioxide in April “due to excessive holding” of aircraft waiting to take off from or land at Naia’s single international runway.

“This does not include carbon emissions from other aircraft of other airline companies,” the document said.

The Philippine Airlines report, which assessed the environmental and financial effects of delays on the carrier, also raised the spectre of an even bigger air quality impact on the metropolis due to delays in either expanding the present capacity of Naia or building another airport.

In particular, Philippine Airlines noted that the harmful carbon impact on air quality would increase if the Department of Tourism’s forecast of increased tourist arrivals is achieved.

The airline report also noted that it is presently expanding its fleet—another factor that would raise emissions unless holding times and delays are reduced.

For April 2014, Philippine Airlines logged a total of 282 hours of “excessive taxiing” pending takeoff clearance for its Naia-based aircraft fleet, resulting in additional expenses of $238,000 that month.

Meanwhile, 99 hours were logged for excessive taxiing after landing, resulting in an additional $77,000 in costs during the period.

Philippine Airlines also recorded 284 hours of “excessive airborne holding” for its aircraft worth $643,000 in April—a cost attributable to inadequate runway facilities.

These delays also cost the airline an additional $96,000 in April for “crew costs”, but excluded additional expenses due to congestion-induced flight cancellations and delays. These include hotel accommodation for delayed or canceled flights and meals for passengers, among others.

All told, Philippine Airlines estimated that it loses close to $2 million a month due to airport congestion-induced delays, the document revealed.

The carrier is 49-percent owned by the San Miguel Corp., which has recently proposed to put up a $10-billion four-runway airport on reclaimed land in Manila Bay.

Previous proposals to build an airport at this site were met by protests from environmentalists who said it would destroy a bird sanctuary and mangroves near the Las Piñas-Parañaque boundary.

The airline countered, however, that the sanctuary was artificially created by an incomplete reclamation project in the late 1990s, and that birds along the flight airport’s path posed a safety hazard to aircraft.