DOTr to iron out NAIA rehab with private bidder

MANILA  -The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to meet with the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) to discuss its unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), including their project cost which is lower than what the government has estimated.

Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto Lim, in an interview with the Inquirer, said the agency was reviewing the proposal lodged in April.

“We are scheduling a meeting with the consortium as part of the process of evaluating the entirety of their proposal,” he said. The DOTr has yet to disclose when the target date of the meeting is.

“We will look at their project cost, too,” he added.

The MIAC’s project bid has a cost of P100 billion, which is less than the P141-billion projection by the DOTr to improve the facilities of the congested international gateway, which has been criticized for operational inefficiencies.

Naia may be privatized by Q1 of 2024; P141B in investment needed – DOTr

Apart from the project cost, Lim previously said that the chosen private concessionaire will be asked to pay an upfront cost of P30 billion and annuity payment of P2 billion. The government will also have a share in Naia’s revenue generation from commercial and noncommercial operations.

The consortium, composed of the country’s biggest conglomerates and a US-based infrastructure investment company, seeks to double Naia’s passenger capacity to 62.5 million per annum by 2028 from 31 million currently.

It noted that the international airport already breached 48 million passengers in 2019, proving the urgency of the expansion. MIAC is also committed to investing in new facilities and technology to “transform Naia into a world-class airport.”

The solicited proposal prepared by the DOTr and Manila International Airport Authority, with the aid of the Asian Development Bank, aims to improve the experience of travelers through shorter waiting and processing times, modern facilities and better connectivity between terminals.