Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya has announced that some of the operations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 will be transferred to the newer Terminal 3 as a contingency measure to not disrupt operations and inconvenience passengers during the busy Christmas season while renovations begin at Terminal 1.
NAIA Terminal 1 is scheduled to receive a major upgrade and rehabilitation beginning in December as the government prepares to modernize the facility in order to have it ready in time for an international summit. According to Abaya, some portions of the 40-year old Terminal 1 will be closed down and the flight operations in the closed sections of the terminal will be moved to Terminal 3 in an effort to alleviate what is already a highly congested airport.
"There is a planned and sequenced phasing between NAIA-3 and NAIA-1," said Abaya. "Hopefully, this will work in a complementary manner because once we get part of NAIA-3 operational, we'll transfer some operations in there, so NAIA-1's load will be lightened."
The Department of Transportation and Communications intends to bid out the P1.64 billion NAIA Terminal 1 rehabilitation project by November 15. The government is aiming to have the contract awarded by the end of the month. "Hopefully the winning bidder could start the construction by the first week of December," said Abaya. "We are abiding by that deadline." Critics have questioned the government's decision to begin work during the busiest travel period of the year when air traffic is at its peak in the country. However, the government is determined to move ahead with the rehabilitation project in order to ensure that it is completed on time.
This is another pie-in-the sky idea by an intellectually void government. Why not simply transfer international, non-budget flights to T3 permanently and move all budget flights to T1.
ReplyDeleteIn a rational society, that would be the thing to do instead of running a back and forth scheme all in an effort to do some expensive window dressing for a summit meeting! That is unless someone intends to profit from that fat contract while messing up everyone's holiday season.
More pork???
ReplyDeletebetter to spend the money on projects like this than see it go to the pockets of corrupt politicians
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