MANILA -- The rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 is set to begin next week and might be finished in one and a half years.
"(Construction of) field offices of contractors and consultant started last month. More or less, we will begin the project by next week," Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager for Engineering, Ric Medalla, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday afternoon.
Medalla said the winning bid amount for the project was PHP601 million.
"The contract for this project is for one and a half years, so we expect the rehabilitation to be finished by that time," he said.
Some areas at Terminal 2 will be fixed and a portion of the lobby at the north and south arrival areas will also be expanded, he said.
In a previous interview with the PNA, MIAA Media Affairs Division head Jess Martinez shared that the Terminal 2 rehabilitation aims to improve the whole terminal, and also to prepare for the airline terminal realignment plan.
The terminal realignment plan aims to address the problem of passenger congestion at the NAIA and to rationalize the flights.
It does not, however, have a final date of implementation yet.
Martinez earlier mentioned that several suggestions are still being considered in the terminal realignment plan.
Currently, NAIA Terminal 2 is being used by Philippine Airlines (PAL) for its international and domestic flights.
The terminal, though, was originally designed as a domestic airport.
"It was not even designed to have a section for the Bureau of Immigration, as well as a Duty-Free store," Martinez said.
This, he noted, could be the reason for the long queue of passengers at the terminal. (PNA)
