DOTr Awards Bulacan Airport To SMC

18 September 2019

San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC) has secured a 50 years contract to build, operate, and maintain a new international airport in Bulacan dubbed as the New Manila International Airport from the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade signed the Concession Agreement Wednesday morning which officially awards the US$15 billion (₱734-billion) deal to SMHC represented by San Miguel President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang. 

The contract was signed at the ASEAN Convention Center inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

SMHC put forward the new airport proposal back in 2016. It will be built on a 2,500 hectare property in Taliptip, some 20 kilometers northwest of Metro Manila. Construction is slated to start in December.

The contract includes the construction of an 8.4-kilometer toll way that will connect the New Manila International Airport to the North Luzon Expressway in Marilao, Bulacan.



The airport will be fully owned by the government under a “build-operate-transfer” program, SMC president Ramon Ang said. Airport construction would be funded by 70% foreign denominated loans and is expected to bring 35 million tourists annually.

Art Tugade said the Bulacan airport express train connecting the North South Commuter Rail lines are still being reviewed by the Transport Department as this will modify and amend approved plans of the train terminal junction in Marilao. SMC proposes express train to terminate at Marilao while DOTr proposes it to terminate at NAIA terminal 3.

Duterte Signs Davao International Airport Authority Law

10 September 2019



President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law creating the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) to maintain and operate the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City.

Republic Act No. 11457 or the "Charter of the Davao International Airport Authority" was signed by Duterte on August 30, 2019. Copies of the law was released to the media Today.

Under the measure, the DIAA, an attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), shall "principally undertake the economical, efficient, and effective control, management and supervision of Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, existing airports in Davao Region and such other airports as may thereafter be established in any of the provinces of the same region."

The newly created authority is tasked to upgrade the services and facilities of Francisco Bangoy International Airport and formulate internationally acceptable standards of airport accommodation and service. It was also given the authority to exercise all powers of a corporation and to levy and collect dues, charges, fees for the use of the airport.

Under the said law, all existing airport facilities, runways, lands, buildings and other properties, movable or immovable, belonging to DOTr and CAAP would be transferred to the DIAA.

The Authority shall also administer ongoing projects relating to the construction of new Airport facilities and supply of equipments.

DIA was previously under the control and supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines before it got its independence.

CAB Shuts Down Emirates Request For More Flights

10 September 2019

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has denied Emirates Airlines request for more additional flights to Manila citing underutilized slots from the Philippine side and plenty of unused slots to international airports outside the country's capital.

CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said there are unallocated entitlements on the Philippine side, while the UAE side also has “unutilized entitlements.”

Under the expanded bilateral agreement between the two countries, both are given 35 flights on each side per week, and the UAE carriers are allowed unlimited flights to destinations outside Manila.

According to CAB, Emirates was allocated 18 flights to Dubai while Etihad got 17 flights to Abu Dhabi. On the Philippine side, Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines Corporation and Cebu Pacific got 7 entitlements each to Dubai while Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific got 7 entitlement each for Abu Dhabi.

Arcilla said only Emirates used all their allocations, while Etihad has not used its 3 new allocations. Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific used up their allocations to Dubai while Air Philippines Corporation has not used the 7 entitlements they have. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific also don't fly to Abu Dhabi making their collective entitlements unused.

“All in all, their are 24 underutilized flights to Manila. It must be flown first or most of it must be flown first before we entertain proposal to increase frequency,” says Arcilla.

Emirates Airlines Country Manager Satish Sethi admitted over the weekend that they have profitability problems on its operations outside Manila as all of their revenue, particularly taken from Business Class travelers, are all from Manila.

Emirates has flown Dubai-Cebu-Clark-Dubai route daily for 3 years now.

ASA To Morocco Agreed

9 September 2019

The Philippines and the Kingdom of Morocco agreed to provide seven flights a week from each other's territory beginning next year as the two countries negotiated and initialed an Air Services Agreement (ASA) last week at the office of Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile in Rabat, Morocco.

The parties also signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) granting full third and fourth freedom traffic rights for both passenger and cargo, and setting out other operational details for their respective designated carriers.

This is the seventh ASA of the Philippines in the African region. Designated airlines are Royal Air Maroc and Philippine Airlines.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Igor G. Bailen headed the Philippine delegation, comprised of Undersecretary Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Undersecretary Edwin R. Enrile of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and Director Joan Karen A. Riola of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Meanwhile, the Moroccan delegation is headed by Director of Air Transport Tarik Talibi, together with Deputy Director of Air Transport Mohamed Hamidi, Mr. Otman Ait Madani, Ms. Nora Oustani, Ms. Wahiba Amara, Ms. Maria Ed-Dahri, Mr. Hicham Ouzine, Mr. Younes El Bouzidi, and Ms. Rihab Bencheckroun.

According to DFA Usec. Bailen, the Philippines will establish an embassy in Morroco next year.

PAL Upgrades Regional Flight

3 September 2019

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) introduces new 195 seater aircraft for its regional flights.

The airline will add 15 new A321neo Short Range (SR) aircraft as part of its fleet modernization program with the new Airbus A321neo SR aircraft which will serve as the primary single-aisle jetliner for its Asian regional flights. It has 12 seats for business class and 183 seats for economy, all with back-seat Inflight Entertainment system (IFEs).

PAL said the brand new A321neo SR is different from its also new A321neo LR (Long Range) aircraft as the former is optimized for short haul flights in Asia Pacific, China, Korea and Japan, while the latter caters to medium haul flight covering flight time of more than 5 hours to places like Brisbane, Port Moresby, Sydney and Sapporo. It is also envisioned to be flown to India.

Some existing A321s which has seating capacity of 199 will be flown exclusively in trunk-line domestic and charter routes while the rest of the fleet will be return to lessors when their leases expires.

PAL has 6 A321neo LR, and 24 A321 classics in operation, supported by 19 A320s.

Med-Evac Plane Crashes

1 September 2019

An Lion Air Inc. operated King Air B300 (350) (RP-C2296) plane suffered engine trouble and crashed in Laguna Sunday afternoon. (another video here)

The plane crashed in Barangay Pansol in Calamba City killing nine people on board and injuring two others on the ground.

The King Air aircraft was transporting a patient from Dipolog City to Metro Manila for treatment.

The fatalities were identified as:

1. Captain Jesus Hernandez (pilot)
2. First Officer Lino Cruz Jr. (co-pilot)
3. Dr. Garret Garcia
4. Kirk Eoin Badiola (nurse)
5. Yamato Togawa (nurse)
6. Ryx Gil Laput
7. Raymond Bulacja
8. Tom Carr (patient)
9. Erma Carr (wife of patient)

RP-C2296 was delivered to the Philippines on March 30, 1999.