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MANILA, Philippines – The chief of national flag carrier Philippine Airlines, Incorporated (PAL), has a short but complex wish list for president-elect Rodrigo Duterte: Rehabilitate the country’s international airports and build aviation-related infrastructure.
“We hope we can have better airports and more aviation-related infrastructure,” PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista said on the sidelines of the launch of PAL Boutique Tuesday night, May 24, when asked about his wish list for Duterte.
The Philippines has 16 international airports, excluding the domestic and community gateways, but most of these are congested, Bautista said.
“For example, our airport (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) is congested. We can only have 40 movements per hour. And sometimes, movements per hour exceed 40, so we can’t grow the market,” the PAL chief said.
The cramped NAIA and other regional airports disable local airlines to tap the growing demand for flights and may even spell doom to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Open Skies, he added.
The Philippines signed the so-called 5th and 6th freedoms of the air in February, allowing broader flight options within the region.
“[Improved airports] will enable us to continue growing. The ASEAN Open Skies will be implemented and for us to enjoy its benefits, we should have the facilities that we need,” Bautista said, who is set to meet Duterte after the president-elect takes his oath on June 30.
“I have met him (Duterte), but we are not that close. It’s a courtesy to meet the president. Let’s give the presumptive president some breathing room until oath-taking,” he told reporters.
Bautista said he will mention to Duterte the need to improve NAIA and the regional airports, especially those in Davao and Clark Freeport in Pampanga.
More runways or another
NAIA, the Philippines’ main international gateway, is feeling its age. Constructed for a different time of air travel, NAIA’s terminals are bursting at the seams. It had 34.1 million passenger traffic in 2014, above its handling capacity of 28 million passengers annually.
In April, thousands of passengers were stranded and over 80 flights were cancelled after a power outage hit NAIA Terminal 3 for over 5 hours. (READ: Power outage hits NAIA Terminal 3)
But the Aquino administration, through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, has jumpstarted projects that will develop NAIA and other regional international gateways.
The P74.56-billion NAIA development project, for instance, is set to be auctioned off to private investors. This deal is seen to transform the Philippines’ main international gateway into a “world-class modern airport facility.”
The government has also started bidding out the development, operations, and maintenance of 5 regional airports: Bacolod, New Bohol, Davao, Iloilo, and Laguindingan.
But passengers and airlines will have to wait for the completion of these deals before realizing their benefits.
“We are taking delivery of more planes. If there are no support infrastructure, our planes will just depart, our investments will be wasted,” PAL’s Bautista said.
The PAL president cited as an example the unrealized potential of Davao and Clark airports.
“The government should develop further Clark airport. It is ready, but it lacks infrastructure. The fueling facility should be improved. There should also be more support industries, like airline catering, ground handling, as well as maintenance and engineering,” Bautista said.
He added that Davao is being considered by PAL as another regional hub. (READ: PH sticks to bundled plan for 5 regional airports project)
“ASEAN Open Skies allows us to fly Davao-Singapore, Davao-Kuala Lumpur, Davao-Manado, Davao-Bali, Davao-Australia, Davao-Palau, and other small cities,” Bautista said.
“Davao in fact is one of our most profitable local destinations. The problem is, it is very difficult to add more flights, so what we do is upgrade the aircraft,” he added.
Bautista said PAL sometimes operates an Airbus 321, which seats 199, instead of an Airbus 320, which is a 170-seater.
“I think the new government will study these proposals very carefully,” Bautista said. – Rappler.com
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