By ANGELA CELIS

The government has received the remittance of a P30-billion upfront payment from San Miguel Corp.-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project, the Department of Finance (DOF) said yesterday.

In a statement, the DOF said the remittance from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) was cleared with the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on September 16, following the official turnover of the NAIA’s operations and maintenance (O&M) to NNIC on September 14.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed the payment was transmitted last March but was only cleared after the turnover.

The DOF said this will boost the government’s non-tax revenue stream without the need to impose new taxes on the people. 

“We are hitting two birds with one stone on this project. This will not only transform NAIA into a world-class airport but also guarantees the government a healthy income stream from the private sector operator,” Recto said.

“As the project finally takes off, the government is expected to generate roughly P900 billion in revenues from this deal over the entire term, which is a 15-year concession period, extendable by another 10 years. This will be equivalent to a revenue source of more or less P36 billion annually to fund more projects in education, public health and infrastructure,” he added.

With an estimated cost of P170.6 billion, the project aims to address the longstanding challenges of undercapacity, congestion and underinvestment in the country’s main gateway.

Led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the MIAA as co-grantors of this solicited PPP, the NAIA rehabilitation is expected to increase airport capacity from 35 million passengers annually to 62 million and expand air traffic movements per hour from 40 to 48.

The proponent is providing a P30 billion upfront payment, a fixed P2 billion annual payment, and 82.16 percent national government revenue share, excluding passenger service charges. 

Meanwhile, NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez, in a statement yesterday said the planned terminal reassignment at NAIA will be implemented gradually and strategically to minimize disruption.  

Alvarez said these adjustments will be aligned with ongoing infrastructural and technical upgrades at the airport, ensuring a seamless experience for passengers.

Alvarez added any changes in terminal assignments will be communicated in advance to ensure a smooth and efficient transition as part of broader modernization efforts.

NNIC also said the terminal fee increase will be implemented in September 2025 or a year after takeover.

NNIC has committed to improve passenger experience at NAIA within the first 12 months. Initial projects in the pipeline

include construction of new toilets and refurbishment of existing comfort rooms, additional seating capacity in the terminals, installation of additional A/C units and refurbishment of existing units, reliable High-speed Internet, repair of existing walkalators, escalators, and elevators, upgrade X-ray machines to standard 3 (no need to remove tablets and laptops from carry-ons). With Myla Iglesias