Airlines’ transfer seen to decongest Naia Terminal 1

NAIA terminal 3. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–With the official transfer to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 of the flight operations of US-based Delta Airlines on Thursday night, Terminal 1 is expected to be decongested by some 1,500 passengers a day.

Four other foreign carriers are scheduled to also make the move from Terminal 1 as Terminal 3 began running at full capacity Thursday night, according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which manages the only international gateway to Metro Manila.

MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado said Delta Air, being the first of an initial batch of foreign air carriers to make Terminal 3 their new base, was set to have its first two flights come in Thursday night.

Passengers of Delta Airlines flights arriving from the United States (DL629 and DL473) were expected to deplane at Terminal 3 at 9:05 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Thursday night.

“We are excited to welcome these passengers as they take their first step in this new terminal,” Honrado said in a statement.

After Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is set to move to Terminal 3 on Aug. 4, followed by Emirates Airlines on Aug. 15.

On Sept. 1, Singapore Airlines will also begin operating its flights in and out of Terminal 3. Cathay Pacific is expected to move in by the second week of September.

“We thank these airlines for heeding our call to use Terminal 3 for their operations. Their cooperation plays a vital role for us to achieve our desire to decongest Terminal 1 by some three million passengers annually,” Honrado said.

He urged relatives, friends and well-wishers of passengers arriving and departing on these airlines to take note of the transfer dates to avoid confusion.

Dante Basanta, the Naia Terminal 1 manager, said the effect of the transfer of Delta Airlines will be immediately felt in Terminal 1 in the next few days.

“The transfer of Delta to T3 will surely ease the congestion at Terminal 1 since two arrivals and two departures will be diverted to T3. That translates to around 1,500 passengers daily,” Basanta said in a text message.

He noted that the ease in passenger flow and vehicular traffic at Terminal 1 will be felt considering that Delta’s flight schedules fall within the peak hours of the terminal’s operations.