P1.3B face-lift of oldest PH airport terminal 99.5% complete

The makeover of the over three-decade-old Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 is nearly complete with the contractor for the project just applying finishing touches to the facility.

Naia Terminal 1 manager Dante Basanta said that while D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) was granted a work extension until Sept. 30 for the P1.3-billion face-lift on one of the country’s oldest airports, the contractor was already in the process of punch-listing.

A punch list involves tasks required to fully satisfy the terms of a construction contract.

Basanta said that DMCI engineers were currently inspecting areas covered by the rehabilitation contract to make sure that nothing would be overlooked.

“The rehabilitation of the terminal I would say is 99.5 percent done. What DMCI is doing now are just finishing touches,” he added. “The punch-listing could be finished even before the Sept. 30 deadline,” he said.

The P1.3-billion rehabilitation project of the Naia Terminal 1 includes structural fortification and retrofitting; aesthetic improvement; the upgrade of its mechanical, electrical, plumbing facilities as well as fire protection system; and the construction of hotel and transportation lounges.

Work completed by the DMCI has widened the passenger movement areas at the arrival and departure areas which are much cooler now because of an air-conditioning system upgrade. It has also improved the overall appearance of the terminal through the installation of new floors and ceilings.

The installation of steel braces and application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer for retrofitting has also made the terminal structurally sound.  To further ensure the convenience of terminal visitors, public restrooms have been upgraded.

The makeover of the terminal started in January last year after a structural investigation in 2010 found flaws in the construction of the facility built in 1981.  The terminal, previously called the Manila International Airport, was designed by LV Locsin and Associates under National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin.–Jeannette I. Andrade