Modern boarding bridges NAIA personnel inspect a modern aerobridge which will replace the decades-old PBB at the premier airport’s Terminal 1. DoTr PHOTO It provides ease and convenience to passengers and protects them from both hot and humid or inclement weather.

Passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 will soon be treated to more modern aerobridges as they disembark or board their flights.

This was announced yesterday by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal.

According to Monreal, MIAA has embarked on a project to replace the decades-old passenger boarding bridges (PBB) with new ones. The project entails the design manufacturing, factory testing, delivery and installation of new and customized units of apron-type and pedestal-type PBB. Monreal said Phase 1 of the project consists of nine units to be replaced while Phase 2 includes 11 of boarding bridges. According to Monreal, currently being implemented is Phase 1 with a total project cost of P318,998,885.98.

Actual replacement will commence this week and target date of completion for this phase is December 2018, he said.

Phase 2, on the other hand, is due for bidding with actual implementation expected to commence by first quarter of 2019.

The passenger boarding bridge connects the airport walkway directly to the aircraft. It provides ease and convenience to passengers and protects them from both hot and humid or inclement weather.

From steel walls, the new aerobridges are made of glass wall. The units are also air-conditioned and equipped with CCTV camera with a view of the apron. The bridges are also designed with programmable motor controller and are GPU (ground power unit) ready.

The bridges are being replaced because they have been used for about 33 years and are now outdated, rendering them unreliable with incidents of breakdown occurring from time to time, Monreal said.

Shinmaywa Industries Inc. supplied the 20 aerobridges in the late 1970s when NAIA 1 was under construction. The units were the first of their kind in the Philippines back then, he added.

Shenzhen CIMC-TianDa Airport Support Ltd. is supplying the new aerobridges to NAIA. The company’s core business is airport support equipment, among other things. To date, the company has supplied over 4,000 units of passenger boarding bridges to 200 airports worldwide and exporting to more than 60 countries since it began manufacturing PBB in 1989.

“Rest assured we will work doubly hard to make a difference for the benefit of the air riding public,” Monreal said.