By Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

HOUSE SPEAKER Pantaleon D. Alvarez yesterday, Feb. 14, said he will ask officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to suspend the operations of airlines who will refuse to make adjustments that will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals within 45 days.

“We will ask the authorities na huwag nilang payagang mag-operate (to not let them operate). And we will also consider cancellation of their franchises… (that is a) violation,” Mr. Alvarez said on the sidelines of the committee on tourism hearing at the House of Representatives.

During the hearing, Mr. Alvarez noted that NAIA is the only airport in the world allowing mixed use of its terminals for domestic and international flights, which results to overcrowding.

He cited budget airline Cebu Pacific in particular for using Terminal 3, which is designed for international flights, for its domestic routes.

When asked to move out of Terminal 3 within 45 days, Cebu Pacific, Inc. President Lance Y. Gokongwei said: “Respectfully sir, given the way we sell tickets one year in advance and also the time it requires to move all our people and [do] the ground preparations, I think these drastic steps may take over a year of planning.”

Mr. Alvarez, however, insisted on the 45-day deadline and warned that airlines who will not comply may risk revocation of their franchises.

“Problema ng airline ’yun, problema nila ’yun. Bakit kayo nagbenta ng one year in advance? I-refund nila (That is the airline’s problem, it is their problem. Why do they sell the tickets one year in advance? Refund the money if they must),” the Speaker said.

Mr. Alvarez also told MIAA to divert some flights to Clark International Airport in Pampanga to reduce traffic at NAIA, the country’s main gateway.

Speaking in Filipino and English, the congressman said: “For example, the airport can no longer accommodate flights, then refuse them. And that way we can lessen the traffic even in the runways. Because no matter how we build terminals, if the runway cannot accommodate, it’s nothing), it’s useless.”

Moreover, the Speaker criticized Cebu Pacific for such practices as not using airport tubes, which compromises passenger comfort and safety, as well as failing to return the passenger terminal fee amount in canceled tickets.

Mr. Alvarez then castigated representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for letting Cebu Pacific carry out these practices.

“Why do you allow these? That should not be the case, you are the regulatory agencies. You should promote the concerns of the public, not the concerns of the airline companies,” he said.

In 2017, NAIA Terminal 3 received 42,525 domestic and 19,085 international flights, according to data from MIAA. This translated to 6.44 million domestic and 3.85 international passengers. Outgoing flights, meanwhile, were 43,115 domestic and 18,935 international, carrying 6.48 million and 3.86 million passengers, respectively.

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