Terminal Five Planned for Ninoy Aquino International Airport

The Philippine government is planning to construct another terminal at the already congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex exclusively for the use of low-cost carriers. According to Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya, the new Terminal 5 would be constructed beside Terminal 3.

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"We plan to build Terminal 5 beside Terminal 3, which will be fully international in the future," said Abaya. He added that some of the international carriers currently operating out of Terminal 1 such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Delta Airlines, and KLM would soon transfer to Terminal 3 once it is fully operational.

Although Abaya confirmed that the government was planning to pursue the development of a fifth terminal at the airport, he added that the design, capacity, bidding details and cost of the proposed terminal were yet to be determined. 

Meanwhile, the Takenaka Corporation of Japan continues to carry out the work required to make Terminal 3 fully operational before July. It is hoped that with the relocation of international carriers to Terminal 3, overcrowding at Terminal 1 will be alleviated. The ageing terminal has been catering to approximately 8 million passengers annually, which is well above its designed capacity of 4.5 million passengers.

Terminal 1 is also presently undergoing rehabilitation in an effort to improve the passenger experience and to fight off the designation as the "world's worst airport." The improvements to Terminal 1 are expected to be completed before January 2015.