NAIA Manila Terminal 3: a neverending story...

[A_flyer]

NAIA-3 safety evaluation to be completed in October
By Rainier Allan Ronda
The Philippine Star - August 3, 2006

The structural and safety evaluation being conducted by five groups on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III (NAIA-3) will be finished by the middle of October, according to Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Alfonso Cusi.

Cusi, in an interview, said yesterday they have set Oct. 16 as a timeline, wherein they expect all four separate structural checks on the said terminal, which was hit by the collapse of a 100 square-meter portion of its ceiling last March 27, to be finished by the different groups undertaking them.

"The evaluation, the structural check, everything will be finished, we expect the timeline set at Oct. 16," Cusi told The Star.

It will be recalled that as much as four separate probes are being conducted on the said terminal, namely: the random ceiling inspection being conducted jointly by Japanese firm Takenaka Corp. and the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP); the safety and operability evaluation by US firm Gleeds; the design evaluation by British firm Ove Arup; and the structural and safety evaluation by British firm TCGI.

Cusi said that they expect the structural evaluation of TCGI to be the last to be wrapped up since this check would have to await the safety and operability evaluation of Gleeds.

"They would have to await the verification of the operability and safety of the terminal," Cusi said.

Last month, ASEP, the third party entity hired by MIAA to determine the cause of the ceiling collapse last March 27, found that poor workmanship and use of sub-standard materials were one of the main factors that led to weakening of the structure. The collapse took place a mere four days before a scheduled test-run of the facility.

Cusi said MIAA would have to shell out the money for all the inspections.

With the release and study of the findings in all the inspections, Cusi said the government will then be able to assess its options in resolving the problems surrounding NAIA-3.

[walesrob]

Wow, it's not open yet? hehe.

I've followed your thread about NAIA3 over on Asawa, and I'm sure a book could be written about the airport. The book would be called "NAIA3 - The Aiport they couldn't open" :doh

I've heard elsewhere that theres a plan to close NAIA completely and transfer Manila airport operations to Clark? Capacity for NAIA will be filled by 2010 and there is no room for expansion. Theres talk about converting NAIA into a giant shopping centre and theme park if it does happen.

[scotsfiancee]

NAIA-3 FAILED SAFETY REQUIREMENT

MANILA, AUGUST 1, 2006 (STAR) By Sandy Araneta - The materials and specifications used to build the mothballed Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) failed to meet safety requirements, the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) has reported.

ASEP conducted an inspection of the terminal after a portion of NAIA-3’s ceiling collapsed last March 27, just four days before the terminal’s scheduled test run.

In its report to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), ASEP cited five concerns. The structural engineers said the ceiling was constructed without the benefit of detailed shop drawings containing the ceiling plan, as well as the as-built conditions of the ceiling area, which should have included the positions of existing utilities, connection details of the ceiling framing system and other important information that could have better guided the construction.

ASEP also observed that some materials used, like the wall angles, did not meet the minimum required specifications and that there had been a wrong choice of ceiling or wall components.

The structural engineers’ fourth concern was that the quality of work was not at par and in accordance with minimum acceptable practice, thus diminishing the overall factor of safety of the total ceiling system.

However, ASEP said laboratory tests of its individual components reveal that safety factors have been met.

ASEP said its first four observations "singly or in combination, brought about a series of joint failures that triggered a chain reaction leading to the collapse of a portion of the ceiling."

The structural engineers also noted that the collapsed ceiling system was completely enclosed and lacked access for inspection and maintenance — one reason why investigation was more difficult and took longer than expected.

The ASEP report was mentioned in a statement made over the weekend by lawyer Perfecto Yasay Jr., spokesman for businessman Lucio Tan’s Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp. (AEDC).

Yasay said the report should not be taken lightly, especially the part on the quality of materials used.

Based on its findings, ASEP made five recommendations, including the inspection of similarly built ceiling systems and the use of more appropriate materials that will meet minimum required standards.

The structural engineers also called for the reinforcement of the ceiling framing system through such means like additional braces and independent angular supports.

I really dont know why they coudn't open:doh

[Pauldo]

Bwaahaahaaa. How, er, unexpected.

Terminal two was brand new, yet twenty years old as soon as it was built!

A giant red hot greenhouse with zero facilities, except some mobile sari sari type snack stores and a bar that doubled as the smoking room. What a hovel!!!!

One X ray machine to service all departing passengers, and a queue a kilometre long outside the door when entering.

A minimum hour in immigration, as each official had to prove his worth and importance by laboriously taking his time over each passenger, along with much looking around the room to show he was not being hurried.

Baggage carousels that had half a dozen flights worth of luggage piled on each! Two hours to collect a bag!!

Nothing surprising there really, as it was built down to normal Filipino standards from the start.