The Department of Transportation (DOTr) conducted an inspection of the P735-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan over this weekend.
Land development works are now being done at the NMIA’s 1,693-hectare site 35 kilometers north of Metro Manila, according to the DOTr statement released Monday, November 7.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and CEO Ramon Ang joined DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista in the inspection of the airport construction site.
Works on the NMIA officially started on September 18, 2019, after the DOTr signed a concession agreement with San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings Corp., and infrastructure arm of SMC.
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The DOTr and the SMAI ensure that the project complies with flood control measures and other requirements laid out in its Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).
"Secretary Bautista is assuring stakeholders of the new international airport that the gateway will soon be open for business," according to today's statement.
NMIA is scheduled to start commercial operations in 2027.
It will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and enable the airports in the Greater Capital Region (Metro Manila and nearby provinces) to meet passenger demand.
In addition, it will serve as catalyst for economic growth in Central Luzon.
Phase 1 of the airport will have a capacity of 35 million passengers per annum, generating more than 1 million jobs and hauling in more foreign direct investments.
The completed airport will have four parallel runways and a capacity for up to 100 million passengers annually.
Under the 50-year concession agreement, SMAI will undertake the financing, design, construction, supply, completion, testing, commissioning, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of the NMIA.
Eventually, the government will fully own the airport under the “build-operate-transfer” program.