Manila”s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) began commercial operations for domestic flights on July 23, after a near six-year delay due to a lengthy legal battle between the Philippine government and the project”s main contractor, Philippine International Air Terminals Company. NAIA-3 was meant to have opened in 2002.
The new airport terminal began partial operations with 16 scheduled domestic flights of low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Airlines. Philippine Airlines and sister company Air Philippines will add their domestic connections shortly.
The scaled-down operations, government officials said, was a dry run for the time when the facility would go international. This is expected to be in either February or March next year.
Former tourism secretary Richard Gordon, who attended NAIA-3”s launch, urged: ”Construction of the NAIA-3 is finished. Let”s open it [soon] because when the international airlines land here, they will think that they are going to Terminal 3. Then they will ask 'why are we being taken to another terminal?'”
In the past, there were three failed attempts to open NAIA-3.
For more details, visit miaa.gov.ph.
Margie T Logarta