A shortage of fill sand is hindering efforts to sufficiently elevate the planned airport runway above sea level. This will ensure the project is protected from extreme weather conditions and floods, tycoon Ramon S. Ang said.
“We ran out of construction sand for the landfill to reach seven meters above sea level for the runway,” Ang told InsiderPH.
Land development at 84%
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, SMC said the ongoing land development and ground improvement activities at the airport site in Bulacan province stood at around 84 percent.
SMC needs to finish land development works before building the airport facilities. The company said the new schedule was approved by the Department of Transportation.
“Per approved DOTr timeline, airport development will be completed by the end of 2028,” SMC said in a presentation to investors on Tuesday.
100-M passenger capacity
The new gateway will be developed in phases, starting with a capacity of 35 million passengers per year, and eventually expanding to 100 million.
The airport will be connected to Metro Manila by an 8-km toll road via the North Luzon Expressway.
NAIA upgrades in focus
SMC is also preparing to assume operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in September.
An SMC-backed consortium earlier bagged the P170 billion deal to upgrade and operate NAIA, the Philippines’ main gateway.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
