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The Philippine Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. is asking President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr to help improve cargo services at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
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Specifically, the group is pushing for the opening of a new gate with ramp access to allow more warehouse operators to transport cargo directly to and from aircraft
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In an open letter to Marcos, PCCBI said the new gate “will bring a deluge of solutions” to issues faced by the cargo sector operating at NAIA
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PCCBI bewailed the court injunctions that have shut down two gates with ramp access which would have allowed other warehouses to transport directly to and from aircraft
The Philippine Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. (PCCBI) is asking President Ferdinand Marcos to improve cargo services at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by opening a new gate with ramp access that would allow more warehouse operators to transport cargo directly to and from aircraft.
In an open letter to Marcos dated November 11 and received on November 15, PCCBI—formerly Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc.—said the new gate “will bring a deluge of solutions” to issues faced by the cargo sector operating at NAIA.
It noted that New NAIA Infra Corp. has already improved passenger experience in the short time since it took over NAIA operations even with “opposition from some sectors. The cargo sector will also require improvements as certain groups oppose change and reforms to safeguard their interests.”
They requested Marcos to “consider cargo services on par with passenger services.”
PCCBI said NAIA has the advantage of location but shippers are going to neighboring countries “because of poor service, lack of warehouse space, outdated systems, and court-induced monopoly.”
The association noted that at times, it takes the major warehouse operator 12 hours to sort out the parcels from the time the container is taken from aircraft.
“Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia are expanding their cargo hubs. Nobody is investing in NAIA because of one key reason: the two gates with ramp access that would have allowed other warehouses to transport directly to and from the aircraft have been shut down by court injunctions,” PCCBI said.
“If this were a horse race, all the gates would be locked except for one. And the bettors, in this case the roughly thirty-seven (37) foreign airlines, have no choice but to sign up with the lone runner,” it added.
PCCBI said the opening of a new gate with ramp access will allow new players to “come in and the consequent competition will introduce innovation and technology to massively improve operations.”
The group further noted: “The cargo sector is invisible to the public. But its problems are just as dire, and its developmental role is no less important. Passenger service will enhance travel and tourism, while cargo will streamline trade and potentially draw in new investments both domestically and internationally, provided there are equal opportunities. It can even make NAIA a regional logistics and transshipment hub, as befits its strategic location. Both will stoke economic and job growth all over the country.”
The PCCBI call came amid “Christmas cargo flow… peaking” and with NAIA already struggling with a shortage of warehouse space that will likely overwhelm cargo operators.
The association said trucks lining up outside NAIA on Sucat Road to pick up or deliver cargo will be longer, worsening Christmas traffic.
NAIA regulator Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in December last year approved the opening of a new gate with ramp access in a bid to improve cargo handling services and alleviate congestion. The new gate will serve roughly 30 airlines that operate at the gateway.
Before that though in June, a Parañaque court issued a temporary restraining order on the construction of the new gate after a complaint was filed by the group Kapisanan ng mga Nagtitiis na Mananakay, alleging the project was an “illegal alienation…of public property”, which MIAA denied.
The group argued the gate would grant exclusive access to certain cargo companies, potentially harming smaller operators and the general public. The group also filed a P2 million bond.
In July, the court issued a writ of preliminary injunction, halting the project.
Prior to this, cargo gates used by a former ground handling and air services provider at NAIA was also closed in 2022 due to a court order. – Roumina Pablo
