NAIA terminal reshuffle set by mid-2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is opening the new Terminal 4 by the middle of 2026, a development expected to trigger a reshuffle among airlines in the country’s main gateway.

NAIA regulator Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is drawing up the new terminal assignment for carriers operating in NAIA, likely to be enforced next year.

New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC), the private operator of the airport, will start construction for Terminal 4 this month, with target completion by mid-2026.

MIAA general manager Eric Jose Ines said NNIC is putting up Terminal 4 on the former location of the international cargo terminal, between Terminals 1 and 2. Once the facility opens, it is expected to house domestic flights of low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines.

By then, Ines said Terminal 1 would headquarter international flights of budget airlines. Terminal 2 will remain a domestic terminal, with the north wing for flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) and the south wing for Cebu Pacific.

Terminal 3 will be dedicated as an all-international terminal for full-service carriers, with PAL likely to transfer its foreign flights from Terminal 1.

Currently, Terminal 1 houses primarily the international flights of PAL, while Terminal 2 serves as a domestic terminal for PAL, AirAsia Philippines and boutique carriers.

Terminal 3, the largest in NAIA, is dedicated mostly for the domestic and international flights of Cebu Pacific given that it flies the highest number of passengers and manages the biggest fleet.

The old Terminal 4 along Domestic Road, prior to its demolition, was the base for turboprop flights. However, NAIA is phasing out turboprops by March 2026 to improve operational efficiency, so its runway can be solely used by jetliners that carry more passengers.

Airlines have been pulling out turboprops from NAIA and transferring them to secondary airports since March. By October, both Cebu Pacific and PAL will withdraw another batch of turboprops to prepare for a full exit.

Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the airline and PAL are reduced to operating three turboprop flights daily at NAIA starting Oct. 26.

“Both 2P (PAL Express) and DG (Cebgo) will have 21 weekly frequencies, or three times daily, each on the turboprops starting the winter season on October 26,” Lao told The STAR.

Turboprops are the only aircraft capable of landing on airports with shorter or unpaved runways, such as the Sayak Airport in Siargao and the Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Coron.

Ines said it is important to reassign airline terminals to achieve the government’s goal of raising NAIA’s efficiency. Further, NNIC must increase aircraft movement to 48 per hour, from the current 40, under the concession.

In pursuing the airline relocation, NNIC president and CEO Ramon Ang last year said he wants to avoid instances when multiple widebody aircraft are parked in a terminal. Widebodies are jets used to fly long-haul routes and require larger space for boarding, taxiing and takeoff.

Ang said changing the terminal placement of some airlines can expedite NAIA’s turnaround time by 30 percent, benefiting passengers.

NNIC, which bagged the P170.6-billion deal to operate and maintain NAIA, is also building Terminal 5 on the former site of the Philippine Village Hotel.

Ines said the new terminal would also be used for domestic flights, as both MIAA and NNIC see no slowdown in travel demand tolocal destinations.