Passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have experienced long queues due to the recent increase in flights and passenger traffic, according to the Office for Transportation Security (OTS).
The OTS made the statement in reaction to a recent study naming NAIA as among the worst airports in Asia due to passengers forced to wait in long lines.
“Based on our security screening procedures, we aim to process each passenger within a maximum of 1.5 minutes. However, this may vary depending on whether or not the passenger is carrying any prohibited items in their person or luggage,” said OTS spokesperson Kim Marquez.
Marquez said NAIA security screening procedures are aligned with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.
“We can say that it is the same procedures implemented by other member states around the world. The queuing at our airports is affected by the number of passengers traveling at any given time such as in the case of NAIA,” Marquez said.
Based on the study by vacation rental management firm Casago, NAIA ranked 8th among the 10 worst airports while Singapore’s Changi International Airport, on the other hand, is considered the world’s best in giving a smooth experience to passengers.
“It is true that queuing at airports can be affected by the number of passengers traveling at any given time, as we have experienced at NAIA due to the recent increase in flights and passenger traffic,” Marquez said.
This is not the first time NAIA was tagged as among the worst airports in Asia.
A travel website Guide to Sleeping in Airports also branded the NAIA as the among the world’s worst airport in 2011.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) refused to comment on the matter. But the airport management stated earlier it has been working to improve NAIA facilities and passenger processing systems.
On Tuesday, MIAA conducted a five-hour electrical maintenance and upgrading work in Terminal 3 as part of its effort to improve the current state and condition of the terminal’s electrical system.
MIAA officer in charge Bryan Co has assured there will be no expected impact on flight operations during the maintenance work.