Airlines welcome decision to defer opening of NAIA-3

Airline companies lauded the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) management yesterday for its decision to postpone the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) in the interest of public safety.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) vice president for corporate communications Rolly Estabillo said it was a good move on the part of the government and airport officials.

"We’ll just wait when everything is ready. It is not good to operate if there are problems," he told The STAR in an interview a day after MIAA general manger Alfonso Cusi announced that he is postponing the NAIA-3 opening set for the last week of March.

Estabillo said safety is always a primary concern and should never be compromised just because delays and postponements don’t look good.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) marketing director Candice Iyog said they agree with the decision to prioritize the safety of the public saying that "as it is with other airlines, public safety is the biggest concern."

MIAA sources who requested anonymity said the NAIA-3 opening is likely to push through after six months.

Cusi said Monday that the MIAA Board postponed the terminal’s opening to ensure the public’s safety against structural defects.

According to him, the move was based on the recommendations made by TCGI Engineers Inc. and the Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd., the firms tasked to review the structural design and construction of NAIA-3.

The MIAA ordered a structural review last year after the collapse of a portion of the lobby ceiling during a test-run preparatory to the partial opening of the facility. 

"Considering that the schedule of the formal opening of NAIA-3 is now largely dependent on when Takenaka can finish the structural remediation works," Cusi said, they will be "able to make a fair estimate of when the terminal will be opened as soon as Takenaka completes its work."

Meanwhile, President Arroyo has assured that the opening of NAIA-3 terminal is still a priority and that this will be done as soon as all the structural issues are resolved.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President "wants a full assurance of public safety" in relation to the opening of the NAIA-3 facility.

The President has instructed transport authorities and the MIAA to thoroughly resolve the remaining structural issues and put the early inauguration of the terminal back on the fast track.

"We assure the public that this project remains in the top rung of priorities as a marker of confidence, investments and jobs. The facility will be opened to the public as soon as all safety matters are resolved," Bunye said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that he has been briefed by Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza about the status of NAIA-3 and the recommendations of the firms that undertook the review of the terminal’s structural design and construction.

Ermita admitted that Malacañang was disappointed over the delay in the NAIA-3 opening, but would accept this setback: "It is better to err on the side of safety than to err on something that will lead to a debacle. Better safe than sorry. Better late than sorry."

According to Ermita, contractor Takenaka Corp. could be legally liable for the structural defects of its project.

He said that it is up to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the MIAA to decide what action to take against the contractor: "They might sue (the contractor), I don’t know. But... there are certain guarantees (that go with the contract) and (findings of a) technical inspection of the two groups (TCGI and Ove Arup)... might become a basis for the suit."

Structural integrity

In a related development, the Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp. (AEDC) of beer and tobacco magnate Lucio Tan said the recently released findings of two foreign engineering firms commissioned by the government to look into the structural integrity of the NAIA-3 terminal were a welcome development that bolstered the Philippine government’s defense in arbitration cases filed against it by the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) and its estranged German partner Fraport AG.

AEDC lawyer Eduardo Ceniza said that the findings of TCGI Engineers., Inc., and Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd., that there were serious structural defects found in NAIA-3 causing the postponement of the facility’s scheduled "soft opening" confirmed their concerns over the structural integrity of the terminal.

Ceniza said the findings of the two firms should immediately be forwarded to the three-man committee appointed by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court to determine the true value of the terminal. – With Marvin Sy and Rainier Allan Ronda