NAIA keeps original designer for airport rehab

MANILA, Philippines - The firm of National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin will be the lead designer in the P1.1 billion approved “makeover” of the 30-year-old Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) sources said that while their door of the DOTC and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) was still open to other groups to help out in the makeover effort, the Leandro V. Locsin & Associates will be the lead firm and have final say in the structural upgrade and redesign effort.

Other groups, such as that of world-renowed designer Kenneth Cobonpue, Royal Pineda and Budji Layug, could still participate but will have to defer to LVL, DOTC sources added.

Transportation an Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas II earlier said President Aquino has given the green light to a planned P1.1 billion rehabilitation program on the 30-year-old Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

With the tight budget, they hoped to get the terminal’s original architect and designer, Leandro V. Locsin & Associates (LVL), to come in, as well as Singapore’s Changi Airport, he added.

Roxas said Changi Airport of Singapore, consistently voted as the number one airport in the world, had already verbally agreed to be part of our rehabilitation effort by providing technical assistance on functional design and systems improvement,

 “They (LVL) are in possession of the ‘as designed’ and ‘as built’ plans and blueprints of the airport,” he said. “They know the exact location of the duct works, risers, pipes, water drainages, and other electro-mechanical configurations of the facility.

“:In short, they know the ‘bituka’ of T1. We will work with them and avail of their intimate knowledge of the facility.”

Roxas said Changi Airport will send a team before the end of this month to inspect and analyze the site and passenger flows. DOTC expects to receive their findings in early January.

“The rehabilitation plan is part of our mission of providing the Filipino people safe, reliable and convenient transport means in line with P-noy’s slogan of ‘Kayo ang Boss’,” he said.

Roxas said the P1.1 billion rehabilitation will include structural and aesthetical improvements of the country’s current gateway.

 “The plan is the result of DOTC’s comprehensive findings of the current condition of NAIA T1 facilities,” he said.

“We assure the public that we are doing all we can to provide them safe, affordable, reliable and comfortable travel facilities.”

 Of the plan’s allocated budget, approximately P500 million is provisionally set aside for aesthetics and interior design of the facility.

It will entail replacing the well-worn linoleum floorings, the ceiling and walls and partitions.  

Part of this is also to replace the old immigration counters and adding up to 50 percent more such counters to existing counters.  

Concessionaires will be relocated in order to make more room for passengers.

 Another P300 million of the total budget is set aside for the construction of rapid exit taxiway (RET) to relieve runway congestion and minimize delays or waiting time for flights.

 Currently, the NAIA runway system can accommodate 36 events (a take-off or landing) per hour or 1 every 1 and 40 seconds.

Presently, there are about 43 scheduled events per hour. Thus delays are inevitable. When completed, the RET will shorten runway occupancy time of an aircraft landing. It is expected to increase event capacity from 36 to 41-43 events.

 DOTC is also spending P20 million for the repair and rehabilitation of all the 72 toilet facilities in T1, including fixing the lavatories, water closets, urinals and amenities.

 The old, almost vintage, airport had its last major makeover in 1996 in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) summit more than 15 years ago.

It was put into service in 1981, with original design capacity for 4.5M passengers per year, which it reached in 1991. Today, it handles 7.3M passengers a year.