Published on 29 September 2012 [ tribune.net.ph ]
Written by ROSALIE C. PERIABRAS REPORTER
APhilippine Airlines (PAL) official
said that the $6-billion airport project that the company’s proposing to
Malacañang is between the two large business groups.
Ramon Ang, president and chief
operating officer of PAL, said that the airline’s plan to create a new
international airport in Manila would be financed by San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and
Lucio Tan. SMC and Tan are the major shareholders of PAL.
“Airport project is between two
shareholders, it’s between the SMC and Mr. Tan’s family,” said Ang.
Earlier, he said that they will
propose the construction of the new airport to President Benigno Aquino 3rd by
January or February next year. Ang also said that the new airport would have
four parallel runways so that aircraft could fly simultaneously. It would also
span 2,000 hectares, which will also house a shopping mall, restaurants and
other major establishments.
There were earlier reports that the
proposed airport will be located in the north, but Ang said otherwise. He said
that the proposed of new airport is 15 minutes away from the Edsa-Makati area.
During this year’s summer, the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport suffered from delayed and canceled flights from
the congestion of airlines flying in and out of Manila. The government has
since ordered a reduction in traffic at the premier airport as a stop-gap
measure.
The Aquino administration has pursued
a policy of shifting traffic away from Manila and toward other growth centers
such as Clark in Pampanga province.
The proposed airport project is also a
reinforcement to the airline’s $7-billion deal to buy 54 planes, which will
start delivery in 2013. Ang had said that the airline will buy a total of 100
planes to strengthen its regional flights.?
Furthermore, International Airport
Transport, director general and chief executive officer, Tony Tyler, recently
raised to President Aquino the issues of air transport industry in the country.
Tyler said that the Philippines is
missing out on great economic opportunities that could be facilitated by air
transport. He added that the country also has a bad reputation for safety,
inadequate airport capacity and high taxation.
He added that there is a lack of
confidence in the safety oversight capabilities of the Philippines.
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