Better airport cargo service blocked by court

Talk of the town the past couple of days are the changes happening at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) now that tycoon Ramon S. “RSA” Ang’s consortium has taken over the operations of the country’s main gateway.

The Ang-led New NAIA Infra Corp., which includes Incheon International Airport Corp., has been implementing changes and, not surprisingly, it has ruffled some feathers, as it is with any system undergoing reforms.

Some complained about the removal of the NAIA escort service or VIP passes as I earlier reported in this column, which was actually a good move as it was meant to prevent smuggling. And then there’s the increase in parking rates which was likewise meant to smoothen the flow of traffic in the different terminals.

Actually, a day after overnight parking rates shot up, I passed by Terminal 3 and noticed that traffic was indeed significantly better. One by one, NNIC is addressing the problems.

Against this backdrop, there’s another problem that NNIC must resolve – airport cargo service.

Unfortunately, a challenge has emerged after a Parañaque court barred the opening of a new gate at NAIA, which was approved by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in December last year.

The new gate, which provides access to an airport ramp, was meant to make the flow of cargo at NAIA more efficient. How so? The goods stored in warehouses of cargo companies would reach the aircraft faster via the airport ramp. Without it, cargo movement will be slow and hampered, if at all.

Furthermore, the new gate would have allowed more cargo companies to serve the roughly 30 airlines that operate at NAIA.

MIAA said the new gate was “aimed at the public purpose of upgrading and providing safe, efficient and reliable airport facilities for international and domestic travel.”

The new gate with ramp access, it added, would facilitate the “movement of cargo between warehouses and aircraft… (and) to meet deadlines and mitigate delays, especially with respect to time-sensitive goods such as perishable items, medical supplies and urgent shipments.”

It would benefit passengers, too. This is because if the flow of cargo is smooth, the goods would reach the