Naia runway closed for repairs

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City. RODEL ROTONI/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—A portion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) main runway has been partially closed to traffic beginning Saturday to make way for some improvements, according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

Alvin Candelaria, Naia Airport Operations Department chief, said work on one end of Runway 06—about 300 meters long—and the replacement of the threshold lighting system will take about a month.

As a result, pilots have been advised that the runway length has been shortened to 3,110 meters from the actual span of 3,410 meters.

Candelaria was quick to add, however, that only a few flights would be affected by the closure, explaining that most planes use Runway 24 for landings and takeoffs.

Candelaria said pilots have been given the option to make an “intersection takeoff” starting at the airport’s Echo 5 junction which is adjacent to the tarmac at Naia Terminal 1.

Options

Pilots of long-haul flights (of eight hours or more duration) will have the option to use the entire runway but will have to be towed from the Echo 5 junction by a pushback tractor.

Candelaria explained that the use of a pushback tractor is necessary so the big aircraft could safely maneuver at the edge of Runway 06 without their nose or landing gear going over the edge of the runway or the plane’s tires getting stuck in the soft ground while executing a 180-degree turn.

“Pilots also have the option of taking off from the Echo 5 junction but will have to cut down on either the fuel or number of passengers they have on board,” he said.