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Ninoy Aquino International Airport operator New NAIA Infra Corp. agreed to allow the Bureau of Customs and Paircargo to convert space in the Duty Free area into a satellite cargo processing facility, with full clearance operations targeted by July
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The move is designed to help ease air cargo congestion at NAIA
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The congestion, which has pushed NAIA’s three-day cargo clearance rate down from 95% to 76%, has already forced at least one global technology company to suspend production of one of its product lines, with fears others could follow
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BOC is also considering temporarily declaring the old Miascor area a customs processing zone as an additional measure to ease the backlog
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is converting space within the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex into a satellite cargo processing facility. The move is part of initiatives to clear an air cargo logjam at the Philippines’ main gateway that has disrupted semiconductor shipments and forced at least one global technology company to suspend production of one of its lines.
BOC Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla announced at the 2nd Stakeholders’ Summit of the United Portusers Confederation of the Philippines on June 25 that NAIA operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) has agreed to allow BOC and People’s Air Cargo & Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) to use space in the Duty Free area as a satellite processing facility. The area has already been serving as a staging area for several days, but its conversion into a satellite office will enable the actual clearance and processing of cargo on-site, rather than simply storing overflow shipments.
Maronilla noted the site was previously a designated examination area. “The facility is already there and all we have to do is bring in personnel of Paircargo,” he said, adding that BOC is also looking to temporarily declare the old Miascor facility — shuttered since 2018 — as a customs processing zone to provide additional relief.
The urgency of the measures reflects the scale of the problem. Air cargo clearance rates at NAIA have deteriorated from 95% of shipments cleared within three days last year to just 76% today, eroding manufacturers’ ability to meet tight turnaround commitments, according to Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer. The congestion has hit the semiconductor industry particularly hard, disrupting shipments of wafers, storage devices, and other components that move exclusively by air.
Air cargo clearance rates at NAIA have deteriorated from 95% of shipments cleared in less than three days last year to just 76% today, eroding manufacturers’ ability to meet tight turnaround commitments, according to Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer during the same even. The congestion has hit the semiconductor industry particularly, disrupting shipments of wafers, storage devices, and other components that move exclusively by air.
According to a PortCalls source, at least one global technology company has already suspended production of one of its product lines, and industry leaders warn others could follow if the situation is not resolved quickly. The PortCalls source requested anonymity but his company handles air shipments for the tech company.
READ: NAIA air cargo crunch hits semiconductor industry; one global tech firm suspends production
“Even if it’s not attributable to us, I think we owe it to the public — as public servants, as frontliners in that particular area — to try to find the solution and minimize whatever expenses, if at all losses, these importers and companies are experiencing right now,” Maronilla said.
Prior to these plans, BOC-NAIA has already rolled out several relief measures. Operating hours have been extended from the previous 8 am–5 pm, Monday to Friday, to 7 am–9 pm daily including weekends. BOC-NAIA also encouraged stakeholders to schedule releases between 7 am and 1 pm to avoid the typically congested afternoon window.
Moreover, BOC-NAIA has set up a Viber group for stakeholders to follow up on unlocated entries and is in close coordination with Paircargo on the ground. – Roumina Pablo
READ: BOC-NAIA extends work hours to address shipment delays at Paircargo
