The DOTr Has Set a Target for the Opening of the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan
Construction of the P735-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan is now “in full swing,” the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Monday (November 7).
The agency said it is committing to “work together” with San Miguel Corp. (SMC), the main proponent of the project, and is targeting to complete it within five years.
“The gateway will soon be open for business and is targeted to start in 2027,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement.
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The secretary said his office is closely working with San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI), a unit of SMC, to ensure that the project is in complete compliance with construction work requirements, including environmental protection conditions.
Once operational, the new gateway will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and will help spur economic growth in Central Luzon.
The NMIA is being built on a 2,400-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan, just north of Metro Manila. The airport complex will have four runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminals and has an estimated price tag of $15 billion. The airport also has provisions for future expansion, including six additional runways and total capacity of 200 million passengers per year.
With the new airport, the government expects tourist arrivals to reach 30 million annually, generate over a million direct and indirect jobs, and contribute roughly P900 billion annually to the Philippine GDP by 2025.
Constructed under a “build-operate-transfer” program, the new international airport will be fully owned by the government once construction is completed. Under the 50-year concession agreement, SMAI will undertake the financing, design, construction, supply, completion, testing, commissioning, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of the new international gateway.
