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Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, China Southern Airlines, Scoot, and Starlux Airlines have relocated at NAIA Terminal 3 on April 16
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On the same day, Philippine Airlines flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh transferred to Terminal 1
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Manila International Airport Authority said only 2% of passengers were misrouted while none were offloaded as a result of the terminal reassignment
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The third phase of terminal reassignment will commence in June
Airlines eased into their new terminal assignments at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) over the weekend.
On April 16, foreign carriers Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, China Southern Airlines, Scoot, and Starlux Airlines relocated to NAIA Terminal 3 while Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh transferred to Terminal 1.
The relocation of carriers is part of the second phase of the Manila International Airport Authority’s (MIAA) Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program.
MIAA said it recorded a total of 3,311 passengers boarding the 22 flights affected by the new terminal assignments.
“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 in a statement, noting that only 2% of passengers were misrouted—28 in Terminal 1 and 43 in Terminal 2—while none were offloaded as a result of the terminal reassignment.
In anticipation of some passengers finding themselves in the wrong terminal, MIAA said it deployed free shuttles in Terminals 1 and 2.
Ground handlers also ensured presence of their personnel at the departure gates to assist passengers with their needs.
Chiong explained: “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.”
On June 1, Jeju Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Thai Airways and Gulf Air will transfer to their new home in NAIA Terminal 3 while PAL will begin operating all their international flights in Terminal 1 come June 16.
For the third 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.
The STAR program aims 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 first phase began in December 2022 when PAL flights to and from the United States, the Middle East, Canada and Bali were successfully relocated to Terminal 1.
The plan to use NAIA Terminal 2 for all domestic flights of PAL, Philippines Air Asia, and Royal Air will come to fruition on July 1.
While 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 meantime.
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