LIST: Proposed NAIA terminal reassignments for airlines

MANILA, Philippines – Airlines could be switching terminal assignments at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in a few months.

This will be done as part of the NAIA terminal rationalization plan put forward by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in response to calls from Congress to improve air traffic.

Under the tentative plan, Terminals 1 and 3 would be for international flights, while Terminals 2 and 4 would be for domestic flights, MIAA Officer-in-Charge for Public Affairs Connie Bungag told Rappler on Tuesday, April 3.

Here are the terminal assignments under the plan:

Terminal 1

• Philippine Airlines (international flights)
• Etihad Airways
• Saudia
• Japan Airlines
• Thai Airways

Terminal 2

• Philippine Airlines (domestic flights)
• Cebu Pacific (domestic flights)

Terminal 3

• Cebu Pacific (international flights) and all other international carriers, except for the 5 airlines assigned to Terminal 1

Terminal 4

• All other airlines serving domestic flights, except for Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific 

Earlier this year, lawmakers called for more flights to be moved to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga, as NAIA is running at maximum capacity. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez gave MIAA and airlines a deadline of 45 days to come up with a plan, then extended this to 6 months.

“Between now and August 31, the search for the best option is ongoing, but for now the option being looked into is this one. By September 1, the airlines should be where they should be,” Bungag said.

“Terminals 1 and 3 were designed as international terminals, while Terminals 2 and 4 were designed for domestic [flights], so that’s what we are intending [to] happen,” she added.

Bungag also said airlines are holding weekly meetings with terminal managers in order to minimize disruptions once the plan is implemented.

“We don’t want potential disruptions, so everything has to be discussed thoroughly,” she said.

There are unsolicited proposals from various groups to upgrade and expand NAIA, including:

• a P350-billion proposal from the NAIA Consortium, composed of 7 of the Philippines’ biggest conglomerates
• a P156-billion proposal from Megawide Construction Corporation and its Bangalore-based partner GMR Infrastructure Limited

The government has yet to decide on either proposal. – Rappler.com