NNIC rolls out new NAIA standards

MANILA, Philippines — The private operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has signed its first deal with an airline outlining key performance indicators (KPIs) to improve operational efficiency.

New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) yesterday signed an airport use agreement (AUA) with flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) to set up KPIs for both parties.

The agreement, the first of its kind in NAIA, aims to harmonize PAL’s operations with NNIC services to help the operator achieve its targets in the P170.6-billion concession in NAIA.

NNIC president and CEO Ramon Ang said the AUA lists NNIC’s expectations of PAL and vice versa, giving both a clear picture of how they could synchronize movements in NAIA.

He noted that the AUA is critical to enhancing NAIA’s efficiency and minimizing flight delays.

“The agreement gives us a clear framework for setting expectations, measuring performance and working together to maintain consistent service standards. That’s important to making the airport operations more efficient and dependable,” Ang said.

In particular, the AUA governs PAL’s use of airport facilities and infrastructure and also specifies the respective responsibilities of the airline and NNIC.

On top of this, the AUA contains PAL’s contractual obligations to NNIC, including mechanisms to resolve agreed standards in the airport.

NNIC aims to use the AUA as a template for similar arrangements with local and foreign carriers in NAIA, as the airport expands its reach with new airlines coming in soon.

PAL Holdings Inc. president and chief operating officer Lucio Tan III said the AUA upholds the airline’s commitment to keeping passengers comfortable and working with aviation partners. He views the AUA as an opportunity for PAL to showcase on-time reliability.

In 2025, aviation expert Cirium recognized PAL as the most punctual airline in Asia-Pacific, beating some of the world’s finest like Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines. PAL has been pulling off the same feat this year, staying on Cirium’s list for most months.

NNIC is employing a similar approach with ground handlers and service suppliers given the role they play in keeping airlines and the airport running efficiently.

Under the concession with the Department of Transportation, NNIC is tasked to improve NAIA’s services, with the goal of increasing passenger capacity to 62 million per year and speeding up aircraft movement to 48 an hour.