Having their work cut out for them
The Department of Transportation and Communication is tapping the expertise of a British consultancy firm to help in easing the worsening air traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. NATS Limited Services has worked with world class international airports such as Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong, as well as one of the busiest airports in the world, London Heathrow. Those who have traveled to these countries know just how busy, efficient, modern, and comfortable their airports are. NAIA is currently suffering from "runway congestion." The term should already be familiar as we have been exposed to "port congestion" for some time. Maybe NATS should be consulted for that as well.
At a cost of P66 million, NATS will take the first six months to assess what exactly is going on at NAIA. Travelers already know the all too common announcement of runway congestion to explain why flights are delayed, sometimes for more than an hour. Already they are seeing that planes spend too much time on the terminals, just like public utility vehicles spending too much time waiting for passengers. The following six months after that, it is hoped that solutions will alleviate the problem. At present, the hourly air traffic movement at NAIA is at 40. What NATS hopes to achieve is 60, a fifty percent increase. That should help a lot.
Since NAIA only has two main runways, the goal of the consultancy firm is efficiency. Just like Metro Manila roads, there are now too many flights on an airport that has remained the same for decades. I'm sure they did not accept the job if it were not possible. Which also shows that NAIA is operating inefficiently. There were suggestions that Sangley Air Base in Cavite be used as an alternate airport, being close to Metro Manila, but plans for that has not materialized, citing that the runway is too short for large airliners. Clark International Airport, which can handle almost any aircraft, just seems too far for many travelers to use.
Everyone is hoping that this will be money well spent. The consultancy firm has their work cut out for them in tackling NAIA. The only problem I see is if they also find that the equipment NAIA is currently using is already outdated, or not enough to implement the changes they want. I hope that government is ready to spend for the necessary equipment if that is so.
But as I have always said, equipment and procedures are only as good as the people using and implementing them. NATS will have to assess the qualifications and efficiency of the personnel as well. If anyone does not satisfy them, either they undergo more training or get replaced. Lastly, which is something even NATS may not be able to correct or rectify, are those passengers who hold up departure of flights. We have all experienced this. Everyone is on board, save for a few that wandered off, with no concept of time, are totally inconsiderate or just plain clueless. Perhaps NAIA should be a lot stricter about passengers who do not board on time, and just leave them.
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