PNT Foreign Exchange $ 1.00 Cdn = P40.53 Php
August 16 - 31 , 2017 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 13
PAL offers to expand NAIA 2 for P20B
PNT Foreign Exchange $ 1.00 Cdn = P40.53 Php
$ 1.00 US = P 51.15 € 1.00 EUR = P 60.88 ₤ 1.00 GBP = P 66.21
Philippine Airlines ( PAL ) is eyeing to expand the existing Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at a cost of P20 billion ($ 400 million ) extending the existing terminal to include adjacent properties of the Philippine Village Hotel , formerly Nayong Pilipino , and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp . ( Pagcor ).
Jaime Bautista , PAL president , in a presentation at the Management Association of the Philippines membership meeting yesterday , showed an architect ’ s perspective of its proposed annex building which would be designed to handle 12 to 15 million passengers per year .
The proposed terminal would have aerobridges capable of serving 12 to 17 widebodied and single aisle jets .
PAL operations in other NAIA terminals will then be transferred to the new facility that is eyed to be completed by 2020 .
Bautista said NAIA Terminal 2 which PAL has been using exclusively since 1999 , has far exceeded its maximum capacity as it was originally built as a domestic airport during the Ramos administration , servicing 42 million passengers a year compared to its capacity of 30 million passengers .
The planned 89,000- square meter air terminal , equivalent to 200 basketball courts north of NAIA 2 , would help decongest the airport and provide PAL passengers much-deserved space , amenities and modern conveniences , Bautista said .
Aside from the passenger terminal , the complex will include multi-level parking for 1,000 vehicles , a new cargo terminal and ground service facilities .
The facility will rise on a 16-hectare area adjacent to NAIA 2 , comprising of the now-defunct Philippine Village Hotel , the former Nayong Pilipino complex and a property owned by Pagcor .
Bautista said PAL -- which currently operates at NAIA 1 , 2 , and 3 for some of its domestic flights – will consolidate all its operation to NAIA 2 and its annex building which would provide adequate room for its growing fleet of jets and international and domestic passengers .
From its current fleet of 87-wide bodied and single aisle jets , PAL expects its aircraft count to reach 96 by
D1.00 BHD = P 135.71 R1.00 SAR = P 13.64 ¥ 1.00 JPY = P 0.46
BCDA to change Clark ’ s master plan
State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority plans to change the master plan of Clark Freeport Zone to accommodate new projects and developments .
BCDA president Vincent Dizon cited an urgent need to amend the design for Clark to cover all ongoing and planned developments .
“ Master plans are usually updated and revalidated every five years . We haven ’ t revalidated the plan in more than a decade now ,” he said .
Dizon said the original master plan did not include the expansion of Clark International Airport , the construction of a railway system and the creation of Clark Green City . He said this meant the current master plan was already outdated .
Palafox Associates won the bid for the remaster planning of Clark , but BCDA is also in talks with some of the world ’ s biggest developers .
“ We ’ re waiting for the results by yearend . With other projects coming in , it ’ s hard to keep building without the master plan ,” Dizon said .
The proposed remaster planning would include the creation of the so-called
Asean Villas , a transient residence project where foreign guests can stay during conferences .
The villas will be a part of the privatization plan to recoup the investments spent for improvements in Clark .
“ To be honest , we badly need housing . Most of the people working in Clark live outside of the zone ,” Dizon said .
Clark Development Corp . said the new plan aimed to optimize the development potential of Clark without compromising the economic , environmental and social integrity of the main Freeport zone .
The new master plan would incorporate a concomitant business plan that “ will leverage on the potentials of Clark to incorporate environment friendly , smart and resilient ‘ green initiatives ’ and fortify the Freeport ’ s status as a modern industrial estate and premier service and logistics hub in the region .”
It will provide a fresh take on the most strategic approach for further development of the Freeport zone in accordance with the government ’ s new mantra “ Build ,
2021 .
Bautista , however , said it needs full government support for the project , especially in securing crucial land leases from agencies like the Manila International Airport Authority and Pagcor .
“ We also need government to continuously invest in building , developing , enhancing and upgrading airport infrastructure , not just for NAIA but all throughout the country , as PAL and other airlines out up more flights ad open new routes in our race for a thriving economic future ,” he said .
Bautista said PAL is open for partnership should there be a party interested to join the carrier on the venture .
Capt . Manuel Antonio Tamayo , Department of Transportation undersecretary for Aviation and Airports , said the agency is now following government procedure , including the possibility of the project being treated as an unsolicited proposal .
“ It ’ s not a simple plan of leasing … there is a plan to build a new terminal ,” Tamayo said .
Bautista said PAL had been doing its share to help decongest NAIA while stimulating air travel to the Philippines .
“ We ’ re already building up a new network of local and regional flights from Clark , Cebu , Puerto Princesa , Davo , Caticland , and Kalibo ,” he said , adding that PAL continues to invest in the latest technology to speed up passenger processing and aircraft turnaround times . ( R . A Castro , Malaya )
Build , Build ” whose goal is to usher in the golden age of infrastructure in the Philippines .
Clark ’ s new master plan will also integrate with the master plan for Subic-Clark Corridor ( CFZ , Clark Civil Aviation complex , Clark Special Economic Zone and Clark Green City ), the proposed North Luzon Railways project , Manila-Clark Airport Express Railway and a 60-kilometer railway that will connect Clark and Subic Bay Freeport .( O . V . Campos , MS )
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