The Government of the Philippines through the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has issued the notice of award to San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC) for the development of a PHP 734 billion (US$14 billion) Bulacan International Airport project in the Central Luzon region 50 kilometers northwest of Manila.

The notice of award grants SMHC the airport project’s financing, design, construction, supply, completion, testing, commissioning, and operation & maintenance. The company now has 20 days to submit documents such as its performance bond and letters of credit from a bank to the DoTr Special Bids and Awards Committee. 

The new Bulacan International Airport is also known as the New Manila International Airport. It will be poised to become an alternative to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Manila which suffers from congestion. It will be developed on a 2,500-hectare land in Bulacan, with four to six parallel runways that will accommodate up to 100 million passengers annually.

SMHC is negotiating the design and construction of the airport with Groupe ADP (Aeroports de Paris), Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering Group. SMHC president said that they will award construction contracts in September. The construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2019. 

During the first phase of construction two parallel runways will be built and a capacity of 35 million passengers a year will be provided. This phase is expected to last for three to four years. The airport project is set to be operational after six years once the construction is started. SMHC will develop and operate the project during a 50 year concession period.