MANILA, Philippines - The developer of
Aseana City, located along the coastal waters of Manila Bay, is planning to
come up with a feasibility study to reclaim an area for an offshore airport
given the expected further congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(NAIA) with the development of Aseana City and opening of the Entertainment
City.
Speaking at the Asia CEO Forum held
yesterday, Aseana Holdings, Inc. chairman Delfin Wenceslao Jr., said they would
like to conduct a feasibility study to reclaim an area for an offshore airport
that would cater to the expected increase in traffic with the ongoing
developments both in Aseana City and the Entertainment City.
The airport would be two kilometers
off the shore of Sangley Point in Cavite.
Wenceslao said that before starting
the feasibility study for the project though, the company would want to get the
government’s support first.
“Before I spend (for the study), I
want to get a mandate,” he said.
He said that if the company pursues
the feasibility study without government mandate, it has no assurance the money
spent for the study could be recovered when it loses to another firm after the
plan is subject to a Swiss challenge since it is an unsolicited proposal.
Two years ago, he said the company
already conducted a study to look into whether the construction of an offshore
airport would be viable.
“Based on our study, it is viable
technically. The question now is, is it financially viable? That is what we are
trying to find out,” he said
With an off-shore airport, he said,
all that would be needed is to build a coastway that would link to the Sangley
area which would then lead to Aseana City.
“Aseana is a nice location. (From
there) it would take only 10 minutes to get to the off-shore airport,” he said.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) president
and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said last month the flag carrier plans to
build an international airport to be situated in a 2,000-hectare property near
Manila, which would have a modern passenger terminal and four runways, and
would co-exist with the NAIA.
PAL intends
to put forward the proposal to Malacañang either by January to February next
year.
Given the
congestion in NAIA, the government is looking at the Diosdado Macapagal
International Airport in Clark in Pampanga as the new main gateway of the
country.
Making the
Clark airport the main gateway however, requires a fast rail access to Metro
Manila.
The Aseana
City is being developed as a mixed use land area. It is located just across the
Entertainment City which is being developed as an integrated resort, leisure
and entertainment complex that would provide investment opportunities and
world-class tourist attractions in the country.
Wenceslao
said Bit Micro, an information technology company set-up by a
Filipino-American, is planning to put a school for specialized design in Aseana
City.
He also said
Tune Hotels is looking to open a budget hotel in Aseana City.
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