NAIA Terminal 4, the smallest and oldest passenger terminal at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, has been permanently shut down and demolished after being declared a safety hazard, according to its private operator, New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC).
“Terminal 4 will no longer be pursued because we found it to be a major hazard and obstacle,” NNIC General Manager Lito Alvarez said during a press conference.
Originally closed for renovation on November 6, 2024, Terminal 4 was slated to reopen in February 2025. However, plans changed following safety concerns, partly influenced by a deadly incident involving a Jeju Air flight that crashed and exploded in South Korea last December after hitting a concrete barrier.
“We don’t want that kind of tragedy to happen here, so we decided to demolish Terminal 4 instead,” Alvarez added. “We will no longer construct any new buildings on that site.”
The terminal was located at the end of runway 13/31. Alvarez said a new facility will be constructed at the site of the former international cargo terminal.
Within the next three months, the cargo warehouse operators and government agencies are expected to help transfer operations to a temporary facility so the old cargo terminal can be converted into a new passenger terminal.
“We plan to accommodate AirAsia’s domestic flights and some Cebu Pacific routes there,” Alvarez said.
