Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s largest air carriers, is backing plans to improve airport infrastructure in the Philippines.
Philip Goh, Singapore Airlines regional vice president for Southeast Asia, told reporters in a briefing that limited slots at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) was preventing it from adding more flights.
He said airport infrastructure in other parts of the Philippines should be upgraded so the company could expand operations using its regional arm, SilkAir.
“If there’s an opportunity, we want to grow our services in the Philippines,” Goh said.
“We are trying to increase our frequency from four daily flights to five daily flights for a number of years but there are no more slots at Naia,” he said.
Naia’s four passenger terminals last year handled about 36.7 million passengers, beyond its intended capacity. Other carriers, like Philippine Airlines, said they wanted to increase flights but doing so would be difficult without additional capacity at Naia.
Goh said demand for the Manila-Singapore route remained strong and was expected to grow in the coming years.
He added that business prospects remained healthy, with low fuel prices and the implementation of Open Skies among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This was expected to further spur air travel growth in the region.
On Feb. 3, President Aquino signed the Protocols 5 and 6 of the Asean Multilateral Agreement in Air Services.
The signing allows Philippine air carriers to fly “unlimited frequencies” to and beyond the capital cities of the Asean. This was expected to lead to better and more efficient connectivity and translate to more competitive fares and services.
Several proposals are on the table with regard to addressing congestion in Naia, including building a new international airport at a location less than 30 minutes away. Possible sites include Manila Bay and Sangley Point, Cavite.
The Department of Transportation last year also tapped the services British firm NATS to help maximize the use of Naia’s primary runway. The objective was to increase air traffic movement—or landing and takeoff activities—by 50 percent to 60 movements per hour.