In an interview yesterday, General Manager Alfonso Cusi of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said NAIA-3 is still under warranty so Takenaka will have to pay for the repairs.
"Like when you buy a car and find out that there are defects, it’s the manufacturer who will have to shoulder the expenses," he said.
Cusi said although the government acquired control of NAIA-3 through a court decision, it doesn’t mean that Takenaka no longer has responsibilities.
Cusi, who announced the postponement of NAIA-3’s opening last Monday, said he cannot say for certain how much would be needed to repair the terminal’s structural defects and how long it would take.
"If you go there, you wouldn’t notice it because some are already cemented over," he said. "But our structural engineers found them."
The actual defects include beams, gilders and other highly technical parts of the facility, he added.
Cusi said in opening NAIA-3, public safety is always the most important concern and should not be overlooked.
Airline companies are "very understanding" since they also believe that safety comes first, he added.
Cusi said the postponement of the terminal’s opening was based on the recommendations of TCGI Engineers Inc. and the Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd., the firms tasked to review its structural design and construction.
The cost of the repair and how long it would take would depend on the recommendations of the two companies, he added.
Airline companies had been waiting for NAIA-3 to be operational since it is capable of servicing 33,000 passengers daily at peak or 6,000 passengers per hour.
The $650-million NAIA-3, built by a consortium that included Germany’s Fraport AG, was completed in 2002 and now occupies 189,000 square meters with a capacity of 13 million passengers per year.
Once opened, NAIA-3 will take over all of the operations of Terminal 1 and the Manila Domestic Passenger Terminal.
The terminal has 70 flight information terminals, 314 display monitors, with 300 kilometers of fiber optic cables.
The departure area has five entrances all equipped with X-ray machines with the final security check having 18 X-ray machines, while its baggage claim has seven large baggage carousels, each with its own flight display monitor.
NAIA-3 has no jet bridges, but instead uses movable stairways, with passengers either being transported to the terminal or vice versa, either by bus or on foot.
The terminal has 28 airbridges – 20 contact and eight non-contact – and can service 28 aircraft all at once since it is built on a 63.5-hectare lot that used to be part of Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
NAIA-3 has a four-level shopping mall that connects the terminal and parking building which has a capacity of 2,000 cars, while the outdoor parking area can accommodate 1,200 cars.