Megawide bags original proponent status for NAIA modernization

Megawide director Louie Ferrer and chair/CEO Edgar Saavedra

Construction and engineering firm Megawide Construction Corp. has bagged the right to negotiate with the government as the new private sector partner for the modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Metro Manila’s main international gateway.

Megawide disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday that it had received a letter dated July 15 from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) granting its consortium the original proponent status (OPS) for the development of NAIA.

Megawide’s consortium includes GMR of India, which is likewise its partner at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport modernization project.

To recall, Megawide and partner GMR submitted in 2018 a $3-billion unsolicited proposal to upgrade and rehabilitate the highly-congested NAIA under a proposed 18-year concession. The proposal then was to increase airfield capacity to 950 to 1,000 aircraft movements per day, a 30-35 percent increase from estimated daily movements at that time.

However, the prospective NAIA concession will now be based on the terms of reference presented by the government, which recently terminated its discussion with the first consortium that bagged the original proponent status.

In 2018, the government had given the OPS for the NAIA project to the “super-consortium” formed by seven of the country’s biggest conglomerates: Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., the Ayalas’ AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Andrew Tan-led Alliance Global Group Inc., Lucio Tan-led Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Gotianun-led Filinvest Development Corp., Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. The “super-consortium” has formally withdrawn from the project.