British firm tapped to ease traffic congestion at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is tapping the consultancy services of British air traffic management expert NATS to maximize the runway and ease congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a statement yesterday, the DOTC said it awarded the P66-million NAIA Runway Optimization project to the joint venture of NATS Services Ltd. and Schema Konsult Inc. 

Under the 12-month contract, the group will be tasked to increase hourly air traffic movements (ATMs) to 60 from 40 by determining the optimal configuration for the airport’s intersecting runways.

The road map for short- and long-term improvements will focus on the optimization of runway capacity by cutting aircraft’s occupancy times, developing air traffic controllers’ (ATC) surveillance capabilities, as well as maximization of available airspace by reducing restrictions and making procedural improvements to tighten intervals between aircraft movements.

In the first six months, NATS will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the airport’s current airspace, runway and terminal capacities; air traffic and surface operations; runway access points and ATC training.

Over the next six months, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will then implement the recommended improvement measures.

Earlier, MIAA and CAAP implemented certain steps to help ease runway congestion such as the reactivation of Runway 31 and the relocation of general aviation activities.