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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Here's what Libanan thinks about the NAIA privatization plan

Here's what Libanan thinks about the NAIA privatization plan

Published Jan 23, 2023 06:43 am

House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan believes that the plan to privatize the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) won't solve its perennial problem of congestion.

(PNA)

“NAIA’s problem is lack of land for expansion. No new parallel runway can be built there because the area around the airport is already highly urbanized,” Libanan said in a statement over the weekend.

It's been over three weeks since a critical system glitch at the NAIA forced the cancellation of over 400 international and domestic flights. This unmitigated disaster last Jan. 1 resulted to lawmakers dissecting the ills of the country’s main gateway.

But even before this, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) had floated plan to privatize NAIA.

DOTr’s plan to privatize NAIA “won’t solve the airport’s congestion", reckoned Libanan.

The veteran solon noted that long before the pandemic, a study by the International Finance Corp. (IFC) had declared Clark International Airport (CIA) as "the only immediate solution to address congestion in NAIA and expand airport capacity serving the Greater Capital Region (comprising Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon).”

 

RELATED STORY:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/22/libanans-call-transfer-half-of-naia-flights-to-clark-by-2025/

 

“NAIA is running over its design passenger and airside capacity, respectively. The current situation is unsustainable and can significantly undermine the Philippines’ competitiveness and economic growth,” said the IFC study.

“Currently, flight delays and cancellations have become commonplace, as well as negative passenger experience. Having to fly through NAIA adds roughly four hours more to passenger travel time, having to pass through the highly congested roads of Metro Manila,” the study pointed out.

Outside of NAIA and Clark, Libanan said it would take 10 to 15 years to build another major aviation hub serving the Greater Capital Region – whether in Bulacan or Cavite.

Related Tags

marcelino libanan 4PS Party-list privatization glitch congestion NAIA DOTr 12323 privatize jan. 1
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