IN a simple ceremony, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) headed by Sec. Jaime Bautista and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) under general manager Eric Ines have turned over operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to San Miguel-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), as agreed under the Concession Agreement signed between the government and NNIC in March 2024.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in the government’s initiative to harness private sector expertise and mobilize private capital for infrastructure development, said Bautista, as he wished the NNIC success in taking over the NAIA operations over the weekend. Present in the turnover were San Miguel Corporation President and COO Ramon S. Ang, NNIC manager Lito Alvarez, MIAA general manager Eric Ines, Bautista and DOTr Usec Robert Lim, among others.
“Today, we are finally doing what the government has wanted to do since the 1990s- to use public-private partnership (PPP) in enabling a private operator to manage the operations and maintenance of NAIA and make it truly world-class. We wish NNIC much success,” Bautista said.
Ines, for his part, assured the NNIC of MIAA’s full support and cooperation as it takes over the NAIA operations.
The turnover of rehabilitation, operations, and further development of NAIA to NNIC is expected to boost the airport capacity to meet growing demand by handling more flights and passengers, while improving service quality and compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
The NNIC, according to DOTr Usec Joni Segismundo, will invest approximately P144 billion and manage NAIA under a 15-year concession, extendable by 10 years, contingent on meeting key performance targets.
He said the ownership of the airport will remain with the government and at the end of the Concession Period, NNIC will hand-back to the government the operations of NAIA, together will all the airport assets.
Segismundo said that among the improvements in NAIA which the passengers and other stakeholders can expect include expansion of the Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs), additional aircraft parking bays, increase in vehicular parking slots, installation of world-class systems and technology, more food and beverage (F&B) and retail options, more convenient land transport connectivity, among others.
Furthermore, flight delays and cancellations due issues with airport facilities are expected to be significantly reduced.
The successful turnover highlights the commitment of all parties involved to enhance NAIA’s operational standards and service quality, benefiting both domestic and international travelers, he added.
