Local airlines buck transfer to NAIA 2

A House committee has discovered that the government-Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO) contract for the operation and management of Terminal 3 has created graver problems not only for Philippine Airlines (PAL), but for domestic airline companies as well.

In the continuation of the public hearing being conducted by the House good government committee chaired by Rep. Ruy Elias Lopez last Tuesday, it was learned that domestic airlines like Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Asian Spirit have opposed their transfer to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 due to technical and economic reasons.

Edgar C. Manda, NAIA general manager, admitted that despite repeated invitations, domestic airlines would not transfer for Terminal 2. "We have invited the airlines but they do not want to transfer for technical and practical reasons."

He said Terminal 2 is configured to accommodate 737 passenger jets and newer planes. Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Asian Spirit and other local airlines have still in their fleet old planes.

"For example, the aero bridges of Terminal 2 cannot service the existing fleet of Air Philippines and Asian Spirit," Manda said.

He said when they invited Cebu Pacific to use Terminal 2, the airline refused. "The reason that they gave is that it is not viable for them to transfer because there will be two ground handling services and that would entail additional operating expenses."

Earlier, former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Perfecto Yasay revealed that the use of Terminal 2 by PAL for both its international and domestic operations is part of its rehabilitation plan. He said without this government commitment to allow PAL to use Terminal 2 for both its international and domestic operations, the SEC and PAL‘s foreign creditors would not have approved its rehabilitation plan.

Manda‘s disclosure about the local airlines’ refusal to transfer to Terminal 2 as well as PAL’s unwillingness to move its international operations to the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 3 peeved Lopez.

Lopez said the information shared by Manda showed that the government is favoring PIATCO. "PAL does not want to leave Terminal 2 as it streamlines its operations. The other domestic airlines do not want to transfer to Terminal 2. You don’t have any plan for NAIA 1. Now you want NAIA Terminal 3 to be filled up (by compelling PAL to transfer to it). There must be something wrong here," Lopez said.