Plans to ease the congestion in Manila’s main international airport NAIA could see a more positive direction as the SPIA Development Consortium was officially awarded the US$11-billion Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project in Cavite province, Philippines, on September 14.

Led by Cavitex Holdings and the Yuchengco Group of Companies, the consortium will see foreign support from Samsung C&T Corporation, the construction arm of the Samsung Group and builder of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport.

Other members of the consortium include MacroAsia, Munich Airport International, and Ove Arup & Partners Hongkong.

Sangley Point International Airport is envisioned as a two-runway airport with a capacity for 80 million passengers per annum, expandable to four runways to handle up to 130 million passengers per annum.

The project includes the construction of a 4-kilometer connector road, with provisions for rail connectivity, as well as fully integrated logistics and aviation support facilities. With the development of the first runway, Sangley Airport can operate as a satellite runway to immediately relieve the extreme congestion of the runway at NAIA.