#AnimatED: Airport anxiety

When Pope Francis arrives on January 15 and when he leaves on the 19^th,  the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be closed for certain hours. Almost 200 flights have been cancelled and thousands of passengers will be affected. Although the Pope will land in Villamor Air Base, government authorities have decided to shut down NAIA as an extra security measure.

This comes soon after the “Christmas chaos” when 288 Cebu Pacific experienced interminable delays and cancelled 20 flights during the holiday rush. The budget airline simply broke down, crumpling into a mess.

Cebu Pacific blamed air traffic congestion – but that was only part of the story.

Indeed, the biggest problem in NAIA has been heavy congestion in all of its four terminals. Many of us have first-hand horror stories to share. Airports are windows to a country – and ours are grimy and old, in dire need of an overhaul.

For the long term, the Department of Transport and Communications (DOTC) does not lack for plans. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, for one, has already done a comprehensive study. What DOTC needs to do is transform these plans into reality.

For now, NAIA should be massively prepared for the rush during the Pope’s visit when the airport re-opens and flights resume. Surely, its has learned many lessons from December and numerous other instances.

The security of the Pope is paramount.  We are not aware, however, of other countries – South Korea, Brazil, Turkey – shutting down their airports when Pope Francis visited them.

Last year, no flights were cancelled when President Barack Obama visited although some were delayed because the airport stopped operations for a short while. 

But something similar happened 41 years ago, in January 1974, when Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka came to the country. The airport was closed for 2 hours on the day he arrived. It was the first visit of a Japanese prime minister in 6 years and President Ferdinand Marcos wanted to make sure that Japan’s head of state would be unscathed in the Philippines. It turned out to be the most peaceful visit of Tanaka in Southeast Asia.

Have a safe journey, Pope Francis. – Rappler.com