Amount includes P1.2B for new air traffic system
MALACAÑANG has earmarked P2.8 billion under the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024 to allow the Department of Transportation (DOTR) to upgrade the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aviation infrastructure, including the procurement of a new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System.
Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., a vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, said an initial amount of P1.2 billion from the proposed P2.8 billion funding is allotted for the acquisition of the new CNS/ATM system of
“We are counting on the new CNS-ATM system to optimize airspace and airport efficiency, reduce flight delays, and improve travel experience,” Campos said in a statement. “Our hopes are high that the new system, once installed and fully functional, could potentially increase airport capacity to accommodate more flights in the years ahead.”
The January 1, 2023 breakdown of NAIA’s CNS-ATM system, which does not have an independent backup, disrupted more than 300 international and domestic flights in and out of Manila, and left more than 65,000 passengers stranded.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) officials have said the plan to upgrade the airport’s critical system includes procuring an Ultimate Fallback System, which is considered a system upgrade, construct an independent back-up for the current CNS-ATM, and hire a third-party contractor “to provide oversight.”
The CNS/ATM system, according to CAAP, “provides various computer-aided safety measures in Air Traffic Control (ATC) and enhances safety through reduction of controller/pilot workloads and human errors.”
The CNS/ATM system was a P10.8-billion project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which was completed in October 2017.
The system was inaugurated on January 16, 2018 and commenced comprehensive operations on July 16, 2019, the CAAP said.
Previously, CAAP only used three radars which are stationed in Pasay City, in Clark in Pampanga, and Tagaytay City in Cavite to manage the country’ air traffic.
Prior to admitting that the New Year’s Day mess was caused by the breakdown of NAIA’s CNS-ATM system, CAAP officials told lawmakers on January 10 that a busted circuit breaker, not a failure in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment, was what caused the glitch.
Under the government’s 2024 National Expenditure Program, the DOTR has a proposed P6.1 billion budget for the construction of various airports and navigational facilities, an amount which is double of this year’s P3.1 billion.
Besides NAIA, Campos said the following airports are also expected to receive infrastructure development funding in 2024: Kalibo International Airport (P581 million), Laoag International Airport (P500 million), Daniel Z. Romualdez or the Tacloban City Airport (P500 million), New Dumaguete Airport (P500 million), Busuanga Airport (P405 million), New Zamboanga International Airport (P300 million), New Manila International Airport (P200 million), Bukidnon Airport (P120 million), and New Bohol Airport (P97 million).
“We are completely in favor of the increased government spending to build up our airports ahead of the projected full recovery of global air travel by 2025,” Campos said.
