The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced on Sunday the new terminal assignments at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) starting April. This is inline with the second phase of its Schedule & Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program, making NAIA Terminal 2 into an all domestic facility.
The MIAA said in a statement that under the STAR program, international flights will be reassigned to Terminals 1 and 3, where a wider selection of food and retail stores are available for passengers to enjoy.
“With this move, we expect a significant increase in Terminal 2’s capacity from 7.5M to 10M passengers a year, 20 to 25% more than its current rate,” said MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong.
Under the new scheme, MIAA will be able to assist Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) in improving its manpower deployment in Terminals 1 and 3 by realigning their people to the two Terminals.
Beginning April 16, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Asia, Scoot, China Southern Airlines, and Starlux Airlines will be transferred to Terminal 3.
On the same day, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will relocate its flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh to Terminal 1.
On June 1, Ethiopian Airlines and Jeju Air will move to Terminal 3.
Meanwhile, all international flights of Philippine Airlines will move to Terminal 1 on June 16.
For the third phase of the STAR program, all domestic flights of Philippines AirAsia will be operated from NAIA Terminal 2 starting July 1.
The MIAA also stated that while it works on further expanding the capacity of Terminal 2, domestic operations of Cebu Pacific will remain in Terminals 3 and 4 for the meantime.
These changes cover most part of the new terminal assignments that began in December 2022 when PAL flights to and from the United States, the Middle East, Canada and Bali were successfully relocated to Terminal 1.
“The STAR program is a well-studied undertaking. We met with affected airlines and stakeholders to make sure they come up with their readiness plan as part of these changes. We advised them to get in touch with their affected passengers so they can inform them of the new terminal assignments,” Chiong further said.
“While we are planning for a seamless transition, there could be some minor inconveniences during this period hence our appeal for understanding as this is part of our strategic program to improve the overall experience of our customers,” he added.
