The Department of Transportation said Monday it will start inviting bidders for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport next week.

“We’re in the process of finalizing the terms of reference and hopefully by next week we will be able to publish the TOR and invite prospective bidders,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said during the Philippine economic briefing in Laoag City.

The DOTr and the Manila International Airport Authority will serve as co-grantors for the project, which would have a 15-year concession and an option for a 10-year extension.

The agency expects to award the P170-billion contract for NAIA rehabilitation by end-2023.

It said the project aims to address longstanding issues at NAIA such as the inadequate capacity of passenger terminal buildings and restricted aircraft movement.

It also intends to increase the annual airport capacity from 35 million to at least 62 million passengers and raise air traffic movement from 40 to 48 per hour.

The project is also expected to improve the overall passenger experience and service quality to prevent long queues, lengthy waiting times and other passenger inconveniences.

It will broaden NAIA’s role as a key economic and tourism driver for Metro Manila and the whole Philippines, deliver capital infrastructure investment to improve the airport’s efficiency and increase its capacity to meet the growing passenger demand from the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region.

The National Economic and Development Authority board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., earlier approved the solicited proposal to rehabilitate, operate, expand and transfer the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It is now known as the Solicited NAIA PPP Project.