NAIA airline reshuffle takes off in early 2025

MANILA, Philippines — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will undergo another round of airline reshuffle in the first quarter of 2025 as part of efforts to decongest passenger traffic in select terminals.

NAIA operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) plans to move Cebu Pacific’s domestic flights to Terminal 2 in the first quarter next year to finally make Terminal 3 an international hub.

NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez, however, said talks are underway with Cebu Pacific to determine whether Terminal 2 can house all of its local schedules.

Alvarez said NNIC is open to the idea of relocating most, but not all, of Cebu Pacific’s domestic network to Terminal 2 if capacity is constrained. After all, the airline currently reaches the most number of local destinations among Philippine carriers.

Further, Alvarez said AirAsia Philippines would have to pack up its domestic flights in Terminal 2 once NNIC reopens Terminal 4 in the first quarter of 2025. Currently, Terminal 4 is undergoing a P200-million facelift, pushing out all airlines temporarily.

NNIC is also eyeing to flush out all turboprop operations in NAIA and give more slots for larger aircraft as part of efforts to maximize the lone runway of the airport.

If things go as planned, NNIC will compel boutique carriers like AirSWIFT Transport Inc. and Sunlight Air to relocate all their flights to Clark International Airport.

The reform will also affect leading carriers Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, which operate turboprop flights at NAIA to reach island destinations.

Under the P170.6-billion concession signed with the government, NNIC is tasked to improve the runway efficiency of NAIA by raising aircraft turnaround to 48 an hour from the current 40. Apart from this, NNIC has to raise passenger capacity to 62 million per annum to prepare NAIA for future demand.

Since taking over in September, NNIC – led by San Miguel Corp. – has pursued several reforms to enhance travel experience at NAIA. For one, it will receive a new explosive detection system by the first quarter of 2025 to replace the malfunctioning one.

NNIC is also expanding the curbside lanes in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to prevent traffic congestion in the arrival and departure bays of the airport.

The consortium has a lot of work to do in improving NAIA, especially as the airport received low scores in a study conducted by price monitor Compare The Market.