NAIA-3 fully operational by Christmas 2010

President Benigno Aquino III said on Sunday the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 3 is more likely to be fully operational by Christmas this year. Aquino said he was “intensely delighted" when he was told that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore favored the Philippine government in the arbitration case against the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) regarding the NAIA-3 contract. He said the ICC decision is similar to the decision of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes on the complaint of Fraport AG, the German investor in NAIA 3. “I'm waiting for a briefing on the details to move it forward so that NAIA-3 can be used to its maximum capacity in time and we're targeting at the very least for the Christmas holidays," Aquino said. “It is significant that in both of these arbitration cases they have lost and the government and the people have won and now they are now [going to] go back to our court system to be guided under our laws," he said. NAIA 3 is currently being used by Philippine Air Lines and Cebu Pacific. International airline companies have been waiting for a final decision on the airport terminal before they move from NAIA Terminal 1. —JE/OMG, GMANews.TV