|
THE Department of Transportation and Communications on Friday
conducted a dry run of the mothballed Ninoy Aquino International
Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City, two weeks ahead of its scheduled
opening, and uncovered technical defects and glitches.
The dry run, which officials called a tabletop
exercise, simulated the departure and arrival of passengers.
According to records from the department and the
Manila International Airport Authority, the new facility has a
capacity of 13 million passengers per year.
The dry run revealed several equipment in the
airport are in poor condition.
Despite the problems, Transport Secretary
Leandro Mendoza has given the green light for the opening of the
terminal.
The group first went to the arrival area of the
Terminal 3 and noticed that the air conditioning system was not
working. The report also said there were parts of the terminal that
have yet to be finished while the immigration and customs counters
still do not have equipment.
Mendoza’s group also found out that one of the
terminal’s aerobridges and a baggage conveyor were also not
working.
Alfonso Cusi, general manager of the airport
authority, assured Mendoza that the air conditioning system will be
fully operational by Saturday.
Cusi explained that the stalled operation of the
terminal for five years had affected its equipment, but assured that
they will continue doing the necessary repair and replacement works.
The Terminal 3 will be opened on the second week
of July initially as a domestic airport. International operations
will begin before the end of the year.
The opening of the terminal was stalled twice:
first, in March 2006, when part of the ceiling in the arrival area
gave in; and in 2007, after airport consultants said the terminal
was not yet safe.
-- Francis Earl A. Cueto
|
