The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has announced that flights of Jeju Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Thai Airways and Gulf Air will start at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on June
This is part of the MIAA’s Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program to optimize the capacity of the four NAIA terminals.
The Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, will begin operating all its international flights in Terminal 1 come June 16.
Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, China Southern Airlines, Scoot, and Starlux Airlines were reassigned last April 16 from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, while PAL flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh were transferred to Terminal 1 on the same day.
“We are satisfied with how well these carriers transitioned. This is a result of our months of coordination with the airlines and ground handlers,” MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong said, adding that only two percent of the passengers were misrouted—28 in Terminal 1 and 43 in Terminal 2—while none were offloaded as a result of the changes.
To avoid problems about passengers going to the wrong terminals, the MIAA deployed free shuttles in Terminals 1 and 2.
The ground handlers, on the other hand, ensured presence of their personnel at the departure gates to assist the passengers.
“Terminal changes occur for airlines all over the world, depending on the airport at which they operate. It’s all for the betterment of the system as a whole. Their passengers are our passengers. These passengers are our customers. Of course, we want to support the airlines. With the STAR program, our on-time performance will improve further, passengers will have a better airport experience and everyone will benefit,” Chiong explained.
For the next phase of the STAR program, all domestic flights of Philippines AirAsia and Royal Air Philippines will be operated from NAIA Terminal 2 starting July 1.
Chiong said the reshuffle was meant to optimize the capacity of the four NAIA terminals, with NAIA Terminal 2 becoming a purely domestic terminal, consistent with its intended design when it was built in the late 1990s.
The plan to use NAIA Terminal 2 for all domestic flights of PAL, Philippines Air Asia, and Royal Air will be implemented on July 1.
While the MIAA works on further expanding the capacity of NAIA Terminal 2, the domestic operations of Cebu Pacific will remain in NAIA Terminals 3 and 4 for the time being.
The MIAA first implemented the program on Dec. 1 when it moved PAL flightsm to and from the United States, Canada and Middle East.