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The second phase of Manila International Airport Authority’s Schedule & Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program will commence in mid-April
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The program will turn Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 into a purely domestic facility
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Under STAR, international flights will be reassigned to Terminals 1 and 3
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will begin the second phase of its Schedule & Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program in mid-April which will transform Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 into a purely domestic facility.
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Under the program, international flights will be reassigned to Terminals 1 and 3, MIAA said in a statement.
“With this move, we expect a significant increase in Terminal 2’s capacity from 7.5M to 10M passengers a year, 20 to 25% more than its current rate,” said MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong, noting how taking out infrastructure such as immigration counters would free up space for expansion.
Under the STAR program, MIAA said it will be able to assist Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine in improving its manpower deployment in Terminals 1 and 3 by realigning their staff to the two terminals.
The new NAIA airline terminal assignment will be as follows:
- Beginning April 16, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Asia, Scoot, China Southern Airlines and Starlux Airlines will be transferred to Terminal 3.
- Also on April 16, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will relocate its flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh to Terminal 1.
- On June 1, Ethiopian Airlines and Jeju Air will move to Terminal 3.
- From June 16, all international flights of Philippine Airlines will move to Terminal 1.
- For the third phase of the program, beginning July 1, all domestic flights of Philippines AirAsia will be operated from NAIA Terminal 2.
While the MIAA works on further expanding the capacity of Terminal 2, domestic operations of Cebu Pacific will remain in Terminals 3 and 4 for the meantime, MIAA said.
These changes cover most part of the new NAIA airline terminal assignment that began in December 2022 when PAL flights to and from the United States, the Middle East, Canada and Bali were relocated to Terminal 1.
“The STAR program is a well-studied undertaking. We met with affected airlines and stakeholders to make sure they come up with their readiness plan as part of these changes. We advised them to get in touch with their affected passengers so they can inform them of the new terminal assignments.
“While we are planning for a seamless transition, there could be some minor inconveniences during this period hence our appeal for understanding as this is part of our strategic program to improve the overall experience of our customers,” Chiong said.
