MANILA, Philippines–Budget air carrier AirAsia will transfer three of its international flights to the newly rehabilitated Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 from the old Manila Domestic Terminal.
Rico Gonzalez, manager of the domestic terminal now called Terminal 4, said the transfer of flights to and from Macau, Kota Kinabalu and Incheon will begin on Sept. 15.
“They still have international flights in Terminal 4. But we were told they are working on the plan to have all their regional (overseas) flights to Terminal 3,” Gonzalez said.
In a separate announcement, AirAsia said it will continue to operate its domestic flights at the Naia 4.
Since the Naia 3 began its full operations on Aug. 1, five international airlines have already made it their base—Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Emirates, Singapore Air and Cathay Pacific.
The transfer of international air carriers has significantly decongested the 32-year-old Naia Terminal 1, with officials noting the ease in passenger flow and vehicular traffic.
The transfer of AirAsia to Naia 3 came a few weeks after Malaysian-British chief executive officer Tony Fernandes complained about the supposed unfair treatment by the Philippines’ airport authorities to his company.
Fernandes said the Manila International Airport Authority allows only two of AirAsia’s international flights—Incheon and Jinjiang—to operate at Naia 3 while the rest are still at Naia 4.
But the airline is required to pay the same fees as those operating at Terminal 3.
Miaa chief Jose Angel Honrado said, however, that Fernandes should have spoken to Miaa officials instead of airing his complaints to the media.