NAIA turned over today to new operator

MANILA, Philippines —  The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will turn over today the operations and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to the winning bidder, SMC-led New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC).

Some departments or offices will be dissolved or abolished and will affect some organic employees, MIAA general manager Eric Ines said.

“We are bound to help them by relocating them to other offices, or we will endorse them to other government offices because they are all civil service-eligible,” Ines said.

He added that 429 out of 1,200 organic employees were accommodated by NNIC after they applied, while the rest wanted to stay with MIAA.

Those who were absorbed by NNIC will receive a separation incentive pay from MIAA, which is required by law through Executive Order 150.

The fire and rescue and the medical departments were also turned over to NNIC while the administration and finance department, airport police, engineering and operation department will stay with MIAA, Ines said.

All contractual employees with contracts with MIAA will be taken by NNIC for negotiation such as security guards, building attendants and others.

It was agreed that ongoing projects like the improvement of the taxiway, runway lights, additional immigration counters at NAIA Terminal 3 and waterproofing at NAIA Terminal 2 will be completed by MIAA even if it takes until next year, Ines said.

He also said that last May, MIAA turned over 75 percent of MIAA earnings collected from operations and leased lots to the National Treasury.

According to Ines, MIAA will become a “regulator” once the turnover is complete. They will monitor NNIC to see if they are complying with the terms and conditions set in the contract.

Ines also said that incoming NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez assured the public that a “status quo” and “business as usual” will be maintained so as not to disrupt operations, as changes will be made “gradually and methodically.”

The Department of Tourism (DOT) hopes more improvements will be made at NAIA as well as other airports in the country with the privatization of the capital’s international gateway.

“We are all very excited and optimistic by the privatization of NAIA,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum on Wednesday.

She hopes the development would “increase flights hourly and increase the passenger capacity of airports, not to mention improve the entire airport experience.”

She noted that compared to its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranks sixth in terms of the number of airline seats coming into the country.

Frasco said the DOT would “anticipate a great turnaround in terms of infrastructure, experience, seamlessness and the introduction of digitalization” at NAIA with the turnover of its management to the private sector. –  Ghio Ong