Gov’t readies record CapEx for Manila airport upgrades

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is allocating record capital expenditures (CapEx) of P5 billion next year to implement immediate facility upgrades as it awaits for the rollout of the P170.6-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) rehabilitation project.

Just before President Marcos appointed a new MIAA chief, the agency’s former officer in charge Bryan Co told Inquirer that more improvements must be in place at Naia to cater to growing passenger volume, which is expected to reach 45 million by the end of year.

“For you to run an airport sustainably, you have to invest in it,” he said, noting that the capex budget in the past decade only averaged around P1 billion. A substantial portion of the budget will go to the electrical network, including air conditioning systems which could be expensive for facilities with bigger areas like Naia terminals 2 and 3, Co said.

Earlier this year, Naia dealt with power outages that caused inconvenience to its passengers. It has been doing power-related maintenance activities as a response, concluding the seventh and final installment this month. Co said they have been testing the backup power generators to make sure they are up and running should they need to use them.

The MIAA official said they would also want to buy new boarding bridges next year. Purchasing could take 12 to 18 months as they would need to place in order for manufacturing to suppliers from Europe, China or Japan, he explained. Improvements achieved

“When we came in at Terminal 3, there were 20 bases of bridge. Seven of them were broken when we came in 2022. Nineteen are working now,” he said, noting that interim repairs were done for now.

MIAA is also allocating CapEx for rehabilitation of taxiways, which are the routes where an aircraft moves to or from a runway. Last month, MIAA began upgrading Taxiway November, which is a 1,748-kilometer taxiway at Naia Terminal 3.

The agency seeks to replace the flexible pavement with rigid concrete to accommodate all types of aircraft, including wide-body jets.

The project, which will be conducted in phases, is targeted to be completed by 2025.

As this develops, the Department of Transportation is looking for the private partner who will take on the Naia upgrade project. The airport project includes rehabilitation of passenger terminals and airside facilities such as runway, aircraft parking area and airfield lighting; and provision of facilities enabling intermodal transfer at the terminal.