WHILE Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia have built airports that are worthy to be called “international,” the Philippines has been left behind with a premiere gateway that cause Filipinos great embarrassment in at least two ways.

First, the terminal service is far too inadequate compared to other airports of its class.  Cite any airport deficiency or act of mismanagement and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has it.  Brownouts that occur during the busiest of the travel peak season, dishonest X-ray machine personnel, scammers and taxicab bandits, expensive parking fees with limited space, lack of reliable internet, security and fire safety risks, etc.

Second, the notoriety of NAIA has consigned it to the lowest rung in the list of international airports almost every year, contributing to Filipinos’ lack of self-esteem, and driving away tourists and tourism-related jobs.

‘The concessionaire’s immediate plans, if delivered, will make NAIA an airport worthy of the terminal fees travelers are paying it.’

Filipinos working overseas and other frequent travelers have reason to rejoice therefore when the Marcos administration went ahead of the privatization of NAIA.  Past experience in giving airport management to the private sector has been satisfactory both for the government and the private firm, as evidenced by the Boracay and Cebu International airports.

An added assurance that NAIA will soon rise from the quagmire after three decades of neglect is that a consortium led by San Miguel Corp. won the bidding for the airport’s operations. The group’s New Naia Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) is the private concessionaire faced with the daunting task of modernizing and expanding the airport.

The NNIC aims to increase the annual terminal capacity from 35 million passengers to 62 million within four to five years of its concession period.

The concessionaire’s immediate plans, if delivered, will make NAIA an airport worthy of the terminal fees travelers are paying it.  They will refurbish toilets and install new ones, add seating capacity, and provide adequate air-conditioning and reliable high-speed internet.

They also intend to ensure power at all times, repair “walkalators,” escalators and elevators, upgrade X-ray machines, and solve the traffic problem by widening roads leading to the airport.

Last year and this year, the tourism industry in the Philippines notched impressive growth, thereby providing jobs to many workers and contributing considerably to the country’s gross domestic product.

Among the many components of the travel industry, airports and seaports are pivotal in moving people, allowing them to enjoy a longer time to relax and make productive their time away from home or from work. Therefore, airports are there to provide both tourists and local residents the needed public service that is commensurate with the fare and fees paid. We have both the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Manila International Airport Authority as regulators to ensure this kind of service, and the concessionaires of the new NAIA will have to comply with all their regulations.

We have high hopes that NAIA will soon be a modern and respectable airport that will help boost tourism to new heights.