DAVAO CITY – National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said the unsolicited proposal of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. to modernize the Davao International Airport (DIA) is currently being considered and evaluated by the technical board of the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).
She said the proposed project, which will cost the firm of the Davao-based tycoon Dennis Uy at least P48.97 billion, is intended to expand and upgrade facilities in the DIA through a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
Uy’s firm had submitted an unsolicited proposal for the multi-billion Davao International Airport Development Project on May 28, 2018 and had been granted by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) with “original proponent status” for the operation, maintenance, and expansion of the airport.
Uy is the chairman and founder of Chelsea, which provides marine shipping services, transporting passengers, cargoes, petroleum, oil, chemicals, and other bulk products, according to Bloomberg.
It added the company promised to “offer a new technology to enhance passenger experience and an airport operator which captures data to deliver efficient operations.”
Aside from this unsolicited proposal, Lim added that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will implement three projects worth P1.014 billion this year to modernize the DIA, comprising consultancy service for detailed engineering for the passenger terminal building, rehabilitation and expansion of existing passenger terminal building, and construction of a parallel taxiway.