NAIA operator sets July date for terminal reassignments

NEW NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), said terminal reassignments at the main gateway will be implemented by July, coinciding with the expected opening of Terminal 4.

“Terminal reassignments will be by July, the expected (completion of) Terminal 4 will trigger it,” NNIC Adviser Cesar M. Chiong told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a committee hearing on Wednesday.

The plan calls for terminals 1 and 3 to continue serving international passengers, with low-cost carriers taking Terminal 1 and full-service airlines assigned to Terminal 3, Mr. Chiong said.

Terminals 2, 4, and the proposed Terminal 5 will be reserved for domestic operations, which account for the majority of NAIA’s passenger traffic, he said.

For the nine months to September, passenger volume at NAIA rose 3.96% to 38.86 million, according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

It said NAIA domestic passenger volume for the first nine months rose to 20.75 million, up 3.29% from a year earlier. International passenger volume rose 4.74% to 18.11 million.

NNIC said in April that the construction of the proposed Terminal 5 on the site of the former Philippine Village Hotel will take about two years.

NNIC won in 2024 the P170.6-billion contract to operate, maintain, and upgrade NAIA. The government hopes to earn P900 billion from the project, equivalent to P36 billion per year. This projection compares with the P1.17 billion aver-age annually remitted by the MIAA over the 13 years ending 2023, according to the Department of Transportation.

NNIC’s plan for NAIA includes four years of initial works. Mandatory works will take place within five years, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) works taking place within six years.

The initial works phase for NAIA includes rehabilitating and enhancing existing facilities, including road improvements, terminal expansion, and new parking. — Ashley Erika O. Jose