According to an official, the government is looking to the private sector for assistance in managing and improving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the key entry point into Metro Manila.
During the Philippine Economic briefing held in the US, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan stated that a public-private partnership would be signed this year.
“There are already some expressions of interests by private groups, by the private sector…Our plan is to get this on board, this approval for the proposal for PPP of maintenance and operations of NAIA hopefully before the end of the year. We are just waiting for the submission of the project proponents for the proposal,” Balisacan said.
“There are also of course some ongoing international airports, one in Bulacan and one in Sangley. And of course the Clark, which has also been rapidly transformed to accommodate the expansion of airlines services. So I think we should see improvements in the major gateway, NAIA, pretty soon,” he added.
Plans to privatize NAIA have been discussed in the past, but none have materialized.
