Hello

Airports are de facto showcases for most countries and all perform the same
functions as transport terminals. However, it could not be insulated from the
visions of the governments that created it. The buildings stand for the embrace of
travel as social, cultural and economic necessities and airports have become
symbolic, stood witness and responded to the political and the all-too pervasive
economic pressures that airports have to play in the life of a country.
NAIA 1 is symbolic and witness to the country’s Martial Law past while NAIA 2
presents a vision of what the country could possibly be – clean, bright and
efficient. In both cases, the existing operating NAIA terminals functionally and
symbolically represent what is Filipino in terms of experience, culture and
responsiveness to the world that is literally flying into and out of the country.
It is to be emphasized however that although these terminals have been created
by almost divergent design sensibilities of a Filipino architect and a French airport
terminal corporation, both have to be subjected to the operational, cultural and
political dynamics that is inherent in the operations of an airport. Design
showcases as they are in their own right, play second fiddle when uncomfortably
too many passengers pass through the arrival and departure halls, 20 board the
aircraft gates, park their cars or even use the toilets.
Function and design, in that order dictates how passengers – the ultimate and the
most direct stakeholders of the said terminals are to determine if such become
cultural showcases or not.
The $128 million state-of-the-art international airport can handle approximately
2 million passengers annually, and 84,600 tons of cargo annually. The airport's
new Malay architecture-inspired terminal building costs P1 billion, and is four
times bigger than the old airport terminal. It is highly computerized, more secure,
and has more commercial spaces ( approximately 9,000 sq. m ) for its
concessionaires. The terminal has 14 domestic and international counters that
can handle a steady flow of passenger traffic. It is equipped with the latest
navigational, security, and baggage handling equipments. The Check-In counters
have electronic weighing scales, conveyors, and its baggage handling system is
also highly computerized. It has four units of boarding bridges for passengers,
where baggage are regularly screened three times prior to passenger boarding. A
Flight Information Display System, and a Closed Circuit Television
System complement the terminal's security system.

The 209-hectare airport was constructed in four years’ time, and was officially
inaugurated and opened to the public on December 2, 2003. The airport has a
single 3,000-meter precision runway that can accommodate wide-body aircraft.
The Landing Instrumentation System (ILS) for its Runways 05 and 23 is compliant
to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) operating category -
Precision Approach Category 1. It can accommodate 8 to 10 aircraft landings per
hour, and has 8 gate holding areas for aircraft.

The upgraded airport was funded through a loan from the Asian Development
Bank in 1994, which provided $41 million, while the European Investment Bank
provided $23 million. The original cost of the project was $105 million but due to
foreign exchange escalation costs, the Asian financial crisis, and land acquisition
costs, total cost of the Project amounted to $128 million.

The airport's Air Traffic Control Tower is considered as one of the most
sophisticated in the Philippines. Besides the main terminal building, there are also
support facilities: Administration Building, the Central Plant Building, Airfield
Maintenance Building, and Fire, Crash and Rescue Building. The facilities have a
688-slot car parking space, and 4 slots for shuttle buses. It has a 3-megawatt
standby power generator. There are also 2 Mabuhay lounges of Philippine Airlines
inside the airport premises.

Construction of the Centennial Terminal (to mark the 100 year anniversary of
Philippine independence) started in December 1995 and was completed by 1998, with
operations beginning in 1999.

The Japanese Government loaned JPY18.12bn to the Philippine Government to cover

75% of the project’s cost.

Aéroports de Paris designed the terminal. With a floor space of 75,000m², it was
originally designed as a domestic terminal, but was later changed to accept
international flights.

With a total capacity of 7.5m passengers per year (2.5m international and 5m
domestic), it is possible to accommodate 9m passengers per year if required.

Construction halt

Construction of the Terminal 3 project started in 1997. There was a halt in

construction when, in 2003, the Philippine President, Government and Supreme Court
declared the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) contract void.

A resolution was achieved in 2007 and the terminal was officially opened in July
2008.

BOT controversy

Due to alleged irregularities in the BOT laws in the Phillipines PairCargo and Fraport
AG as the Philippine International Air Terminals Co Inc (PIATCO) were not allowed
to complete the construction of the terminals.

The BOT agreement was declared void by the Philippines president, government and
Supreme Court in 2003. It was followed by much legal wrangling including the
involvement of international courts.

In 2006, PIATCO took a $6m payoff from the Philippines Government, and appointed
a new contractor, Takenaka of Japan, to complete the construction work by 2008
(completion costs were $6m).

Terminal 3 plans
The $640m Terminal 3 is 1.2km long with a capacity to handle 13m passengers per
year. Its 34 air bridges and 20 contact gates allow it to service 28 planes
simultaneously

In creating the design for the NAIA, Ferrer lauded the natural beauty
of the Philippines saying, “There is no better architectural inspiration
for NAIA than the natural sights of the Philippines. Ours is a country
full of wonder, and the Banaue Rice Terraces rightfully evoke a sense
of awe and majesty; this is the kind of experience we want everyone to
have the minute they set foot in the airport. We want NAIA’s
reputation to change from ‘The Worst Airport’ into ‘An Airport
Wonder’,” said Ferrer.