No more delayed flights with NAIA infrastructure upgrade, says DOT
Unwanted flight delays will now be prevented with the completion of the latest infrastructure upgrades at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.
Thus, said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during her speech at the inauguration of NAIA’s upgraded airside facilities on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
She said the facilities aim to increase the maximum allowable commercial aircraft movement in the country’s primary gateway.
Not only that, she noted that it can help boost the country’s tourism industry upon the reopening of more destinations.
Puyat said the development came on time when the country was slowly reopening the tourism sector amid the ongoing pandemic in a bid to further encourage local tourists to visit the many famous islands and destinations in the Philippines.
“We hope to open more tourism areas with uniform travel protocols and at least, kapag magrecover na ang tourism, hindi na delayed ang mga flights (when our tourism industry recovers, flights will no longer be delayed),” Puyat said.
“Thank you very much, [Transportation] Secretary Art Tugade. Rest assured that the DOT will be always here to support you,” she added.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that the completed repair and cement overlay of NAIA’s Runway 13/31 and the construction of an additional holding area (H5) at Runway 13 (which is 153 meters long by 22 meters wide) will boost the gateway’s maximum allowable commercial flight movement capacity from 40 to 50 flight movements per hour, or a total of 240 commercial flight movements per day.
The concrete overlay used in the improvement of Runway 13 is expected to last between 15 to 20 years and is less prone to potholes, soft spots and rutting. It also requires less maintenance and repair, which would mean fewer traffic delays and flight disruptions in NAIA, the DOTr added.
“Better runway and taxiway surface that is free from potholes and surface depression will translate to faster aircraft movement and ground efficiency.”
Meanwhile, the newly constructed aircraft holding point/taxiway (Hotel 5, 153 meter x 22 meter) will also increase the aircraft movement area,” the DOTr said.
