Naia execs hope ground traffic speeds up with P452-M project

Aviation officials on Friday inaugurated a 658-meter aircraft taxiway extension at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which they said could help reduce flight delays and enhance safety.

In a media briefing, Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado said that with new Taxiway November Extension, ground traffic would improve as planes could now go straight from the main runway to Terminal 3 (and vice versa) without making several turns.

MIAA Assistant General Manager Ricardo Medalla Jr. added that prior to the extension project, wide-bodied aircraft coming from the apron of Terminal 3 to Taxiway Charlie (and vice versa) usually took five to six minutes to cover the distance, while narrow-bodied aircraft took about four.

Today, the same maneuver can be done in just two to three minutes, he added.

Having the extension also “adds to the safety profile’’ of the airport, said Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General William Hotchkiss. With pilots making fewer turns on the ground, “essentially the margin of error is also lessened.”

The project cost around P452 million to complete since work started in November 2014. About P311.3 million was spent on civil works, while P140.4 million went to the electrical systems.

Kristine Felisse Mangunay