German experts to supervise NAIA-IPT 3 operations

German specialists from the Frankfurt Airport will compose a team set to supervise operations, planning and management of the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport-International Passenger Terminal 3 (NAIA-IPT 3).

Already, 10 German Fraport AG specialists have been in the country since 1999 to help in the planning and coordination of architectural and operational procedures in the construction of the new international passenger terminal.

Fraport AG, the owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport, currently holds a 30-percent stake in Philippine International Air Terminal Co. Inc. (PIATCO) which is financing, planning, constructing and operating the new terminal as a build-operate-transfer project. Frankfurt Airport is considered one of the world’s best airports, comparable with airports in Singapore, Chicago, Hong Kong, Dubai and Atlanta.

More German experts are expected to arrive in the country to provide support to the team already in Manila assigned to undertake Fraport AG’s consulting activities during the project period and the start-up of operations.

"This is a further important step in making this international project a success," said Fraport AG’s Johannes Endler, executive director for the company’s finance and traffic and retail department.

Already 53 percent complete, NAIA-IPT 3 located at Villamor Air Base, is Fraport AG’s first project in Southeast Asia. The new international passenger terminal will be operational by end of 2002.

The new airport terminal plays a vital role as an important showcase for BOT projects and as a major national infrastructure project of the Philippines. It will be the primary international gateway to the Philippines and a magnet for business and investment in the future, said Endler.