A STUDY conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) calls for the further upgrading of the Philippines' airport infrastructure in order to attract more tourists.
PIDS research fellow Kris Francisco and research analyst Valerie Lim on Monday presented their study titled "Philippine Air Transport Infrastructure: State, Issues, Government Strategies," which evaluated the government's programs aimed at improving the performance of the air transport industry.
"The last two administrations actually prioritized infrastructure, and the good thing to note is that the GDP (gross domestic product) allocation for infrastructure had already been increased from 5 percent to 6 percent," Lim explained.
"What we can do to improve further is the recommendation to maintain the commitment to allot 5 to 6 percent of GDP to infrastructure spending and fast-track government processes and make it more attractive for the private sector to partner with the government in providing for the infrastructure needs of the country," she said.
One of the problems the government recognized is air traffic congestion which will persist, if not worsen. This is because domestic airports lack night landing capabilities.
To address this problem, measures such as rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing airports and road access are being developed.
"Some of the strategies laid out in the PDP (Philippine Development Plan) 2023-2028 include firstly the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing airports which will be continued and complimented by the development of access roads to address issues with congestion," said Lim.
Building airports outside urban areas are also being studied while taking into consideration space, among others.
"There is also a highlight of building airports outside of urban areas. This is also forward-looking because it takes into consideration acquiring adequate space for future expansion projects," said Lim.
Meanwhile, PDP 2023-2028 targets a total of 158.54 million passengers transported via air and sea for 2023 from 35.72 million from 2021. "With this, a total of 14 air transport infrastructure projects (are being developed) out of the 194 in total," said Lim.
