NAIA (Noel Pabalate/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Will this finally get rid of Ninoy Aquino International Airport's (NAIA) enduring tag as among the worst airports in the world? 

Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. bared Sunday, Aug. 13 that NAIA--the country’s main gateway, was earmarked P2.8 billion in fresh funding for the upgrading of its aviation infrastructure under the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024. 

He said the P2.8-billion allocation for NAIA--tucked under the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) budget--includes P1.2 billion for the procurement of a new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) system. 

Last Jan. 1, a glitch-slash-power outage in NAIA's existing CNS-ATM system led to the cancelation of over 400 flights. An estimated 65,000 passengers were affected by the incident. 

Needless to say, it was an unmitigated disaster and embarrassing way to start 2023. 

Campos is a vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, which is carrying out the deliberations on the NEP or proposed national budget. 

“We are counting on the new CNS-ATM system to optimize airspace and airport efficiency, reduce flight delays, and improve travel experience. Our hopes are high that the new system, once installed and fully functional, could potentially increase airport capacity to accommodate more flights in the years ahead,” Campos said. 

Under the government’s 2024 NEP, the DOTr has a total of P6.1 billion for the construction of various airports and navigational facilities. The amount is nearly a 100 percent increase from this year’s P3.1 billion. 

Aside from NAIA, the Makati solon said the following airports are also expected to receive infrastructure development funding in 2024: Kalibo International Airport, P581 million; Laoag International Airport, P500 million; Tacloban Airport, P500 million; New Dumaguete Airport, P500 million; Busuanga Airport, P405 million; New Zamboanga International Airport, P300 million; New Manila International Airport, P200 million; Bukidnon Airport, P120 million; and New Bohol Airport, P97 million. 

“We are completely in favor of the increased government spending to build up our airports ahead of the projected full recovery of global air travel by 2025,” Campos said.