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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider PAL calls for coordinated national airport masterplan

PAL calls for coordinated national airport masterplan

Published Oct 9, 2025 06:08 pm
PAL Executive Vice President and COO Carlos Luis D. Fernandez
PAL Executive Vice President and COO Carlos Luis D. Fernandez
Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is calling for the creation of a single, coordinated national airport masterplan to optimize operations and increase the capacity of existing gateways while building additional hubs.
Speaking during the Philippine Aviation Summit, PAL Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Carlos Luis D. Fernandez said, “A true hub is measured not just by how many flights it has — but by its efficiency, reliability, seamlessness, and resilience.”
“Most of our neighboring countries have expansion plans that will soon push capacity for their
respective major hubs beyond 100 million passengers annually,” he noted.
However, Fernandez said that, “While the Philippines is almost at par with many of our neighbors in terms of the number of designated international airports, with nine, compared to Vietnam with 12,
Malaysia seven, Thailand 10, Singapore one, and Indonesia 14– we continue to lag in terms of actual capacity.”
Thus, he said a masterplan should be crafted with the aim of optimizing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the short term with rapid efficiency upgrades while clarifying its long-term role alongside the Clark and the upcoming Bulacan airports.
The masterplan should also standardize secondary airports through night-rating, runway extensions, and upgraded navigation aids, so they can serve as reliable mini-hubs.
Modernizes air traffic management in line with International Civil Aviation Organization block upgrades, ensuring more efficient use of Philippine skies.
Fernandez said the masterplan should also include the integration of surface access, such as “expressways today, rail links tomorrow — so our hubs serve not just cities, but regions.”
It should also align policy and investment incentives, from rational fuel taxes to sustainability frameworks, to make Philippine hubs competitive.
Finally, it should aim to build resilience into every airport — with redundancy in power, radar, and communications, “so disruptions never again paralyze our national gateway.”
“Without this masterplan, our airports will grow piecemeal, our connectivity will remain fragmented, and we will miss out on Asia’s aviation boom. With it, every investment is optimized, and we can transform aviation into the growth engine that our nation deserves,” Fernandez stressed.

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