Master plan for NAIA as part of Subic-Clark logistics corridor urged

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has urged the government to draw up a master plan for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to form part of the Subic-Clark-Batangas logistics corridor that services the whole of Luzon.

This was one of the recommendations aired by PCCI in a recent business conference. The government was also urged to make NAIA a 24-hour operating airport that would accommodate incoming and outgoing aircraft around the clock.

PCCI has also recommended the immediate relieving of airlines from the payment of overtime fees, transportation and meal allowances to Customs, Immigration and Quarantine employees, people who should be paid by the government in the first place.

It also sought for the elimination of the common carriers tax and the gross Philippine billings that have increased transport costs and continue to discourage international carriers to landing on Philippine airports in favor of more competitive neighboring ports.

Another suggestion by the PCCI is for government aviation officials to do their best at correcting the downgrading of Philippine airports from category 1 to category 2 status by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which rates the safety and comfort of entering and leaving different airports across the globe.

As the long-term solution to the loss of competitiveness of Philippine international airports, PCCI urged the government to set top priority to investments in airport terminals, runaways and communication facilities especially at the NAIA, the main entry and exit airport of the Philippines.

The utter lack of these facilities, it pointed out, has caused frequent operational disruptions and undermined safety at NAIA. (By EDU H. LOPEZ - Manila Bulletin)