Big changes are coming to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) once San Miguel Corporation (SMC) takes over its management and operations starting September 14—and a shakeup in terminal assignments is included.
SMC's New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC) is leading the charge, with a focus on increasing flight capacity from 41 to 48 flights per hour. The initiative is part of the P170.6-billion concession agreement with the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
READ: New Terminal Assignments at NAIA
Under the new plan by the NNIC, Philippine Airlines flights will be at NAIA Terminal 1, domestic Philippine Airlines flights and Cebu Pacific flights at NAIA Terminal 2, all international flights from other carriers at NAIA Terminal 3, and all AirAsia flights at NAIA Terminal 4.
Although the reassignment is not yet final, NNIC General Manager Angelito Alvarez emphasized that the shift "will surely happen." The plan has also been endorsed by the DOTr as a necessary move to prevent overcrowding at NAIA.
“The design capacity of NAIA is just 35 million passengers. Right now, we are expecting to hit 51 million passengers by the end of this year,” Angelito said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) forum on September 9.
“There is really congestion at the airport. If we maintain the status quo, you can just imagine the impact on the passenger experience. We need to do something while the Terminal 2 expansion is still to be built.”
Do note that the current terminal assignments will remain for now as NNIC plans to gradually roll out these changes over the next two to three years. This timeframe coincides with the ongoing construction of the Terminal 2 extension at the old Philippine Village Hotel.
“It will be a gradual process. That’s the best that we can do at this point in time. As I stated earlier, things can only normalize once this Terminal 2 extension is completed,” Angelito said.
In the meantime, airlines like Cebu Pacific, and Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia are gearing up for the transition.
*This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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