BIZ BUZZ: Terminal reassignments soon?

New Naia Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) earlier said that airport terminal reassignments will be done gradually and the status quo will prevail until next year.

But it seems that the new operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) is having a change of heart, thus the changes may happen sooner rather than later.

How soon? Possibly before the end of the year, and just when traffic at Naia will hit its traditional peak with holiday travelers further clogging the four terminals.

Biz Buzz sources say that the airlines have been howling in protest, and have appealed to NNIC to perhaps conduct further studies first before pulling the trigger on the reassignments this year.

According to the NNIC plan, terminal 2 will only service domestic flights—Cebu Pacific’s and Philippine Airlines’—while terminal 3 will host all foreign airlines as well as the international flights of Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines.

Terminal 1 will be used exclusively by PAL for its international flights, while Terminal 4 will service all domestic flights of AirAsia.

NNIC had said that these movements were necessary to improve the efficiency of runway use, thus allowing the airport to accommodate more flights and service more passengers.

The airlines have a contrary view, however, saying that NNIC should determine first if any reshuffling will indeed lead to a better flow of traffic and optimize operations at the country’s congested gateway to better serve the flying public.

Negotiations are ongoing and time will tell if the NNIC will heed their request or decide to immediately execute the terminal reassignments.

Whatever the decision, the public can only hope that it will ultimately lead to more benefits for them, rather than more misery. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao

Another airport bid for Aboitiz?

To say that the Aboitiz Group—a conglomerate with interests in power, banking, infrastructure, and food and beverage—is on a roll may just be an understatement.

The industry giant recently bagged the P12.75-billion contract to operate, maintain, and upgrade the Laguindingan International Airport after about five years since it was granted the original proponent status for the unsolicited proposal.

This was also about two years since it had acquired ownership of the award-winning Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Its P4.53-billion unsolicited proposal to transform Bohol-Panglao International Airport is also undergoing a comparative challenge. If no other bids are submitted by the Nov. 11 deadline, the company will automatically secure its third major airport project.

Looking after—and rehabilitating—three airports is already a herculean task but it seems the company is not done yet.

Sabin Aboitiz, the group’s president and CEO, told reporters last week they might just compete for the Davao airport bid, which is one of the major gateways in the Department of Transportation’s privatization pipeline.

For now, he said they were just waiting for the terms of reference to be issued first before making any major moves.

“When somebody asks you, ‘do you wanna get married?’ S’yempre, you say ‘depending on the terms’,” he said in jest.

Investing in regional gateways will certainly cost them a lot of money, but the payoff can just be greater given the resurgence of air travel. Turning them into an international terminal will also mean more traffic, which will allow them to recoup investments quickly.

Now, the question is: Will the Aboitiz Group take the risk and join another airport bid? Abangan! —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad