Lack of sand delays Bulacan airport

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San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is facing delays in the land development work for the P740-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan due to a shortage of sand as backfill material.

The delays will result in additional cost of several hundred million dollars for the construction, said Ramon Ang, SMC president and chief executive officer.

To resolve this, the company is working with the government to look for sand supply.

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“We are working closely with the government to help us and allow us to give us some (backfill material),” Ang said, adding  it is necessary to finish the construction.

Land development works for the airport involve the process of filing of land or sand, among others, as part of preparations to commence the civil works.

The airport was set to start operating by 2027 but the schedule was pushed back to the first quarter of 2028.

“So far, we think if we can get sand, we can start construction. And make the airport ready to run (by the) first quarter (of) 2028,” Ang said.

The land development works were initially targeted to be finished by yearend. That schedule will likely be adjusted.

SMC, through its unit San Miguel Aerocity Inc., has tapped green architect Palafox Associates for the masterplan of the airport plus city concept or “aerocity” development in a 2,500-hectare area in Bulakan, Bulacan.

The aerocity project will be equipped with the latest digital infrastructure to enable people to work and conduct business anywhere.

The airport has a design capacity of up to 100 million passengers annually and will decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s main aviation gateway.

In 2019, SMC signed a 50-year concession agreement with the Department of Transportation for the development of NMIA under a build-operate-transfer contract.

Meanwhile, SMC-led New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) is set to take over the operation of NAIA on September 14, with a commitment to improve the passenger experience during its first three months.

NNIC is composed of conglomerates San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics Inc., RLW Aviation Development Inc. and Incheon International Airport Corp.

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