Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13) — The government is fast-tracking the privatization of the country’s main gateway for its upgrade and to increase capacity, a Cabinet official said.
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Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said his agency targets to start reviewing proposals by the end of the first quarter of the year.
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“We will work and fast-track the privatization of the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport)…,” Bautista told the Senate Committee on Public Services on Thursday. “We will fast-track the conditions of the terms of reference.”
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In a statement on Friday, the transportation department said the airport “can only handle 40 to 44 movements of aircraft an hour.”
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“Should its privatization push through, the NAIA can increase its aircraft capacity to 50 or even 55 aircraft movements,” it said.
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Bautista first bared in late December plans to privatize NAIA. At the time, he said they were working on the implementing rules and regulation of the public-private partnership to make it “investor-friendly.”
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NAIA hogged headlines due to the air traffic system breakdown on New Year’s Day, which led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and affected 65,000 passengers.
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