Five companies have already signified their intention to take over the operations and management or O&M of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA a few weeks after the Department of Transportation or DoTr opened the bidding for the P170.6-billion project.

In a text message to the Daily Tribune on Wednesday, the DoTr confirmed that five potential bidders have bought bid documents for the project.

As of 13 September, the interested companies include San Miguel Corp. or SMC, Spark 888 Management, Inc., and Asian Airport Consortium.

Two others who submitted bids — Manila International Airport Consortium or MIAC and GMR Group — have previously vied for the NAIA rehabilitation.

MIAC is composed of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Asia's Emerging Dragon Corporation, Alliance Global – Infracorp Development, Inc., Filinvest Development Corporation, and JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corporation along with Global Infrastructure Partners.

In 2018, the government awarded the Original Proponent Status for the NAIA rehabilitation to a "super-consortium" formed by seven of the country's biggest conglomerates: Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation; Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Asia's Emerging Dragon Corporation; Filinvest Development Corporation; and JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. It was, however, terminated.

Thus, Megawide Construction Corp. and partner GMR Infrastructure Ltd. also submitted an unsolicited proposal to upgrade and rehabilitate the highly congested NAIA.

Despite the substantial progress, the much-needed NAIA rehabilitation was back to square one after the previous administration also rejected the proposal.

According to the MIAA, the Megawide consortium failed to convince the government of its financial ability to support the project.

Meanwhile, the SMC., an Asian conglomerate led by businessman Ramon S. Ang, is currently taking on the P740-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.