NAIA: A year of change

It’s now been a little more than a year since the Ramon Angled consortium took over the operations and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sept. 14, 2024, and what a year it has been for the airport operator.

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From my own experience, I’ve noticed some real changes, mostly translating to a better passenger experience at the airport — faster drop-off times at the arrival and departure bays, less grid lock at the usual entry and exit points to and from the gateway and in Terminal 3, a designated area for ride-hailing services.

There are still long queues though, especially in T1 and T3, but these are mostly at the immigration counter, and congestion may even worsen this long Undas weekend but so far, the improvements are already noticeable.

Just last Tuesday, I flew out again from NAIAT1 and I continued to experience changes. For instance, there is an ongoing construction at the parking lot fronting the terminal. I'm not sure what kind of transformation will happen but hopefully, it will be for the better.

At the departure bay when I arrived, I also noticed that traffic was smooth, with drop off time kept toa minimum.

Our plane to Tokyo was also able to depart on time.

These are just some of the changes I saw when I flew out of the country last Tuesday, although it’s been months since I last traveled so I’m not sure how consistent NAIA is in implementing these improvements.

Of course, I can only speak from my experience as someone who has traveled under different NAIA eras.

But so far, based on my trips, I can really say that NAIA is now a better airport. It is still a far cry from Singapore’s famed Changi Airport, Japan’s Narita or other efficient gateways across the globe, but it is a noticeable upgrade from NAIA of decades past.