Five Foreign Carriers Set to Transfer to NAIA Terminal 3

Five foreign carriers are set to transfer to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 leaving behind the much older Terminal 1 starting next month. The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) confirmed earlier this week that NAIA Terminal 3 will be fully operational by the end of July as most of the rehabilitation work has already been completed.

Image Source: Travelling_bk/PFN
The airlines that are due for transfer include Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. These carriers have been identified to have the highest volume of passengers of all the foreign carriers and the DOTC has asked them to transfer in an effort to decongest NAIA Terminal 1. According to Steven Crowdey, Director of Delta Airlines for the Philippines, Australia and Micronesia, the first arrivals on July 31 and the first departures on August 1 will be served from Terminal 3. For KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the first arrival and departure from Terminal 3 will take place on August 4. However, Emirates will not begin shifting  its operations until August 15 serving flight numbers EK 337 and EK 336. The Emirates airport office is set to move on the night of August 14. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific has not confirmed a transfer date in August yet but will make an announcement at the earliest possible opportunity. Singapore Airlines has also yet to announce a transfer date but is expected to move by the end of August.

NAIA Rehabilitation: Terminal 1 and 3

The contractor, Takenaka Corporation of Japan, has finished 85 percent of the rehabilitation works enabling Terminal 3 to accommodate an additional 3.5 million passenger every year. The flight information display systems, computer terminals, gate coordination, landing bridges and fire protection systems have all been installed to support expanded airline operations. As the project nears completion, the transfer of the five foreign carriers will help to decrease the number of passengers currently using the older NAIA Terminal 1, enhancing passenger comfort and convenience. This will enable Terminal 1 to begin serving passengers once again at its original design capacity of 4.5 million passengers rather than the current 8 million.

Meanwhile, the ongoing rehabilitation of Terminal 1 continues being handled by DM Consuji Inc. It is expected to finish early next year. The rehabilitation project was launched in preparation for the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Summit that will be hosted by the Philippines in November 2015. The old terminal has remained a controversial issue as it has twice been rated as the world’s worst airport in 2011 and 2013. Most recently, the Wall St. Cheat Sheet ranked it as the 8th worst airport in the world.

While the current rehabilitation and improvements are a temporary solution to address some of the on-going issues at NAIA such as congestion, the DOTC is still looking to construct a brand new international airport for Manila that would be operational 10 years from now. Recent studies conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency revealed that passengers in the Capital Region will hit as high as 106.7 million by 2040, which is a significant increase from the current 31.88 million recorded in 2012.

1 comment:

  1. What about airport lounges for qualifying frequent flyers and business class passengers? Will they be available at T3 International (airside)? How many different lounges are or will there be, and when will they open if known?

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