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By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter
Budget carrier Cebu Pacific on
Friday said it has signed an agreement with the Manila International
Airport Authority to operate at Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Terminal 3.
The Department of Transportation
and Communications recently said the controversial terminal will
start trial operation within July as an airport for domestic
flights.
The Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific
said in a statement that it is conducting full simulation exercises
in preparation for the carrier’s operation at Terminal 3.
“Depending on the terminal
being fully functional, [Cebu Pacific] plans to introduce initially
its domestic service within the month, and move balance of its
domestic operations within days of the initial start-up and all of
its international operations a couple of months from now,” the
budget carrier said.
At present, Cebu Pacific operates
at Manila Domestic Airport.
It expects to carry more than 7
million passengers this year, 70 percent of whom will be domestic
travelers. The airline carried more than 5 million passengers in
2007.
Cebu Pacific has the youngest
fleet of aircraft in the Philippines. It flies to 21 domestic
destinations.
Transportation Secretary Leandro
Mendoza said Philippine Airlines Express and Air Philippines will
also operate at Terminal 3 as their airport for domestic flights.
Mendoza noted that the trial
operation is purely a domestic one to solve congestion in existing
domestic terminals.
“We thought that it’s very
appropriate that we start the dry run with our own carriers. The
international [dry run] will come later,” he said.
Earlier, Alfonso Cusi, the
general manager of the Manila airport authority, said Terminal 3
will be opened at the “soonest possible time without endangering
the lives of our passengers and other airport users.”
“We will address all the basic,
pressing and most glaring life-safety concerns such as the collapsed
ceiling through a more comprehensive repair and strengthening
program,” Cusi added.
He said the airport authority has
been undertaking the necessary research, planning and policy studies
that relate to the basic issues of opening new passenger terminals,
expanding terminal facilities and reorganizing airline operations
within the international airport and within the context of the
larger national aviation system and growth options.
“These strategic policy studies
being pursued at [the Manila airport authority] include [those on]
runway capacity, airline mix and accommodation and terminal usage
and optimization, etc.,” Cusi added.
Of the 33 equipment systems at
Terminal 3 covering basic building systems, such as electrical,
air-conditioning, people-mover and fire-protection, and airport
special systems, such as baggage-handling, passenger-loading bridges
and security-screening, the engineering unit of the Manila
International Airport Authority has inspected and assessed 23
systems.
Noted of the 23 systems were
missing parts, software and system keys; obsolete components and
software; worn-out parts and devices; and inappropriate system
particularly for the structured cabling system.
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