NAIA-3 opening reset anew

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has postponed anew the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3), ostensibly to ensure the public’s safety against structural defects.

The new terminal was originally scheduled to open at the end of this month.

NAIA general manager Alfonso Cusi said the decision of the MIAA board to postpone the opening was based on the formal recommendation of TCGI Engineers Inc. and Ove Arup and Partners HK Ltd., which reviewed the structural design and construction of NAIA-3.

In a letter to Cusi, Ove Arup stated "the use of the facility at this time, even on a limited scale, is not advisable as this will expose users of the facility to life safety risk."

"It is important that the deficiencies identified in the structural evaluation are fully addressed before the facility can be used," it added.

TCGI Engineers, for its part, said that they are convinced that if the terminal is operated, users of the facility "will be exposed to life safety risk, most especially in the event of a major earthquake."

It recommended remediation works on a number of beams, girders and post-tension slabs as well as columns and piles. TCGI Engineers also found the foundation of the vehicular access ramp unstable, while the deck slab and columns required remediation.

In response to the recommendations of the reviewers, Cusi wrote Takenaka Corp., the contractor hired by the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) to construct the facility, to "rectify the defects in the structural works" of NAIA Terminal 3.

"We urge you to consider this as an urgent matter to ensure the safety of millions of passengers and airport employees who will eventually use the terminal," Cusi said in his letter to Ken Kurebayashi, project director of Takenaka Corp.

The MIAA ordered the structural review of NAIA-3 last year after a portion of the ceiling of the terminal collapsed during a test-run operation prior to the planned partial opening of the facility. – Rudy Santos, Michael Punongbayan