New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC) will gradually implement reassignment of terminals for local airlines by the first quarter of next year following the completion of the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4.
Angelito Alvarez, NNIC general manager, told reporters last week they will transfer the operations of AirAsia Philippines to Terminal 4 from Terminal 2.
The domestic flights of Cebu Pacific will be moved to Terminal 2 coming from Terminal 3. But Alvarez said they were still discussing how much of the volume will be redirected.
NNIC earlier said the terminal reassignment was seen to improve the efficiency of runway use, allowing the airport to accommodate more flights.
Under the concession agreement with the government, the consortium is tasked with increasing the aircraft traffic per hour from 41 flights to 48 flights.
In addition, this can lead to fewer flight delays and better on-time performance for the carriers.
Other plans for terminal reassignment include the exclusive use of Terminal 1 for the international flights of Philippine Airlines (PAL).
All the foreign airlines, meanwhile, will operate at Terminal 3, which will also host the international flights of Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines.
Further, Terminal 2 will continue to serve domestic flights only.
At present, Naia Terminal 1 is for international flights while Terminals 2 and 4 are for domestic operations. Terminal 3 accommodates both local and international flights.
Naia Terminal 4 has started undergoing renovation and safety upgrades, which are targeted to be finished by February next year. Alvarez said this would cost about P200 million.
As a result, the flights of boutique airlines AirSwift and Sunlight Air, as well as Cebu Pacific’s regional brand Cebgo Inc., were transferred to Terminal 2 to join PAL’s domestic flights.
The renovation at Terminal 4 is in line with NNIC’s mandate of rehabilitating the congested airport, which has been receiving complaints from passengers through the years because of operational inefficiencies.
Meanwhile, the consortium has extended the free Wi-Fi use to three hours from the previous two-hour limit.
The San Miguel-led group teamed up with PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, as well as Converge ICT Solutions Inc., for the free internet service.
As for baggage handling, the group has acquired a new and advanced system to avoid future disruptions. To recall, the baggage handling system malfunctioned last month, leaving over 800 pieces of luggage stranded at Terminal 3.
NNIC also reported that it had freed up about 1,800 parking slots after implementing higher parking rates at Naia. INQ