NAIA terminal reshuffle set by mid-2026

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.

- ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

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.