No other option but Clark–Miaa’s Honrado

by Recto Mercene | May 18, 2016

Airport authorities admit that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) had already reached its limits, and they see no short-term solution to the congestion problem at the country’s premier aviation gateway except to use Clark International Airport (CIA).

“Perhaps, airlines can start thinking of using Clark; there’s [a] big number of passengers from the north and plenty of slot[s], airspace and land spaces available there,” outgoing Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) General Manager Jose Angel A. Honrado said.

He added that Cebu Pacific, Cebgo and Air Asia can initiate the transfer to alleviate the air traffic congestion in Manila.

Sabotage 

Ruperto Cruz, chairman of the Pampanga-based Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement, however, met Honrado’s statement with derision and suspicion, especially now that Honrado is on his way out as Miaa general manager and Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) director.

Cruz charged that Honrado is mainly responsible for stunting the growth of Clark airport. 

“Don’t make fools of us again. We don’t want to be fooled by Honrado and [Manuel] Mar Roxas [II],” he added. 

“This is the same promise made by Roxas in his failed presidential campaign. They were here for six years and they failed to develop the Clark airport. They’ve done nothing and now they’re trying to promise us again,” Cruz said.

“In fact, we suspect that Honrado must be one of the people whom we suspect are out to sabotage the development of the Clark airport,” he said. 

Tripartite accord

Honrado made the suggestion during a recent tripartite meeting among the Miaa, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

 After the meeting, the group signed a tripartite memorandum of agreement to efficiently use the available airport slots for domestic air carriers.

Present during the signing at the Miaa office in Pasay City were representatives from Philippine Airlines (PAL), Pal Express, Cebgo, Air Asia and Seair.

Rodante S. Joya, deputy director general of the Caap, supported Honrado’s suggestion.

“In Manila, one of our problems is connectivity between terminals. Manila is a hub. If we can operationalize Clark to become a hub for international flights and for domestic flights going to provinces… [that could be a viable solution],” he said. 

Joya added that one of the government initiatives in easing traffic congestion is the enabling of operations of night-flight capability of six provincial airports. 

“We have finished three [provincial airports], but perhaps, the air carriers can use these during the incoming winter schedules to transfer to Butuan, Legazpi or Dumaguete during the night to ease the pressure in Manila during day time. There is no silver bullet here,” he said. 

“Manila cannot accommodate this increase in passenger and air traffic,” Joya added.

The agreement stipulates that all domestic air carriers must stick strictly to their assigned slots, and fly on the designated hour in order not to create a ripple effect that, eventually, affects all succeeding flights leading to congestion.

To avoid this, airlines are advised to submit their summer and winter schedules about 60 calendar days before implementation.

Slot utilization

CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said the agreement basically requires airlines to utilize their slot or face the risk of losing it.

“We want to make sure [that] the slots are available to any airline, which intends to use the airport,” he said.

Slots are issued by the Airport Coordination Australia, the Naia’s third-party slot coordinator.

Air carriers must get clearance from the Miaa, the Caap and the CAB for terminal and runway clearance, respectively, before they are given their assigned slots.

A monitoring and public assistance desk was provided at the terminals to respond to passenger concerns, and monitor the operations of the airlines. The CAB has entered into a separate agreement with the Miaa and the Caap and other local airports for the deployment of the assistance desks. 

The agreement stipulates that the daily average of 684 flight movement per hour would be maximized, out of the available 880 allocations.

Sanctions

For carriers who violate the agreement, they would be subjected to sanctions, including termination of operation, forfeiture of slots and penalty of P5,000 per violation or per passenger.

Honrado said the agreement does not promise to increase the existing slots but to make an efficient use of all of them.

“Basically, [the slots] will not [be] increased; we will still maintain the 40 slots per hour. There are many slots available but those are early in the morning,” he said.

Arcilla, for his part, added that the agreement is meant to rationalize the allocation and maximize the utilization of the existing slots. 

“So we’re talking here of efficiencies,” he said. 

He squelched reports that the agreement will dampen the air carriers desire to increase flights.

 “It will not dampen the desire of carriers to expand operations, of course, the more lasting solution is the supply side, but given the existing circumstances, we have to adopt the demand side approach.” Arcilla said. 

The demand side is the reality that demand for more flights is increasing and the supply side refers the ability of government to provide the infrastructure.

He said the positive effect of the agreement is that those slots that are “misused” can be transferred to another airline waiting in line.

“This will redound to public at large and support the expansion of slots,” Arcilla said.

PAL President and COO Jaime J. Bautista agreed, saying there will be same number of slots available, but “what we can do is take advantage of available slots. The agreement is not to increase the slots, but from my understanding of [the] agreement, the [accord will impose on] the three  agencies to efficiently allocate the slots and allow other airlines to use slots not use by other airlines.”

He, however, said  the agreement is not a guarantee that there will be no more delays.

Joya, likewise, said this is only one of several factors that affect efficiency of flight operations at Naia.

“We have capacity enhancements at Naia terminals,” he said, adding the total
terminal capacity is only 30.5 million per year.

“Last year we had 36 million passengers, there are several capacity enhancement, such as those initiated by PAL, constructing their own parking ramps,” Joya said.

“Because of the number of airplanes [that] are coming in there’s nowhere to park them.”

 He added that although there are suggestion to increase the capacity to 1,400 per hour, such as those at Gatwick airport in the UK and La Guardia Airport in New York, the Naia cannot do it “because you have to close the airport for certain hours due to repairs [and] maintenance.”

Joya, likewise, bared that the Caap is procuring a tower simulator to hone the skills and boost the level of confidence of air-traffic controllers. 

With Ashley Manabat

Source: www.businessmirror.com.ph