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Philippines to Modernize Aging Manila Airport, Boost Capacity

  • Passenger traffic expected to grow almost 50% by 2037
  • Older facilities, long queues make the upgrade necessary
Workers collect carts at the dilapidated Ninoy Aquino international airport.

Workers collect carts at the dilapidated Ninoy Aquino international airport.

Photographer: Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images

The Philippine government is considering bringing in investors to modernize Manila’s 33-year-old airport as President Benigno Aquino tries to upgrade the country’s infrastructure.

Companies will be brought in on 15- to 20-year concessions to invest more than 120 billion pesos ($2.6 billion) to upgrade Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in an interview Wednesday. That will enable the airport to meet projected traffic of 51.4 million passengers a year by 2037, from about 35 million now.