Philippine Airlines president Stanley Ng (PNA photo by Cristina Arayata)
MANILA – The head of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is hoping that the soon-to-be new operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) would prioritize interconnectivity and digitalization.
"Like in airports of other countries, interconnectivity really helps. For us in PAL, we have our international flights at Terminal 1 and domestic at Terminal 2, so this would really be helpful for the passengers," PAL president Stanley Ng told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
He said trains would be an efficient mode to interconnect and for the passengers to head to different places. Currently, buses are used to transport passengers to the different NAIA terminals.
The New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (formerly SMC SAP & Co. Consortium) will operate and rehabilitate the airport starting September.
Ng believes the new management would also focus on digitalization and improvement in infrastructure.
"We have a national ID. We could use biometrics as these could both provide more convenience to the riding public," Ng said, as he expressed high hopes on the improvements the new management could bring.
Boosting Thailand connectivity
Meanwhile, Ng said PAL is open to Thailand's "two-country, one-destination" initiative, wherein both governments will ramp up promotions and encourage foreign tourists visiting either of the two states to have the Philippines or Thailand as their second stop.
"It's a good (idea). We market together with the DOT (Department of Tourism) in promoting the domestic destinations," he said when asked for his comment on the Thailand government's suggestion, which includes having direct flights between Cebu and Phuket.
"We need the government’s support in launching new routes. Cebu and Phuket, their beaches, are both attractive to tourists," he said. (PNA)
