Cathay Pacific Transferring to Terminal 3 in October

Cathay Pacific, the world's best airline, as voted at the 2014 Skytrax World Airline Awards, will be transferring its operations from Terminal 1 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to the recently revitalised Terminal 3 on October 1. The Hong Kong flag carrier is the last of the five initial foreign carriers that were invited by the Manila International Airport Authority to transfer to the modern terminal.

Copyright Photo: Diego Roxas/PPSG

With the migration to Terminal 3, Cathay Pacific passengers can look forward to a more convenient and comfortable experience, as well as more dining and shopping options. Currently, there are no upcoming changes to the carrier's flight schedule between Manila and Hong Kong or the number of daily frequencies. Cathay Pacific currently provides the largest number of flights to Manila of any foreign carrier. The five-star carrier operates up to six flights a day to Hong Kong, representing 10 percent of the scheduled flights operated by foreign carriers.

The transfer from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 is part of a broader move to decongest the 33-year old Terminal 1.  Prior to the transfer of the five foreign carriers, Terminal 1 was servicing up to 8 million passengers annually compared to its original design capacity of 4.5 million passengers per year. In contrast, Terminal 3 is designed to handle up to 13 million passengers per year.

When Cathay Pacific transfers to Terminal 3, every major airline alliance in the world will be represented at Terminal 3 by at least one member carrier. SkyTeam is represented by Delta Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which transferred to Terminal 3 on July 31 and August 3 respectively. Star Alliance is represented by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Singapore Airlines. ANA became the first foreign carrier to operate out of Terminal 3 in February 2011, while Singapore Airlines moved its operations on September 1. Cathay Pacific will be the first member of the oneworld Alliance to use Terminal 3. Emirates also moved into the facility on August 15.

However, Cathay Pacific will continue to maintain a presence at Terminal 1 through its sister carrier, Dragonair, which will continue to operate flights out of the older facility.  The Manila International Airport Authority has not disclosed whether additional carriers are expected to transfer to Terminal 3 by the end of this year. However, additional carriers are expected to be invited to transfer in the near future. Airport management are using the first five foreign carriers to test operations at Terminal 3, to ensure a smooth flow of operations at the facility before inviting additional carriers to transfer.