Starting today, July 1, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (NAIA-2) goes back to being an exclusively domestic airport.
Budget carriers AirAsia Philippines and Royal Air Philippines will now take off and arrive at NAIA-2 for their destinations within the archipelago.
The transfers were made under Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA)'s Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) to maximize the capacity of existing facilities.
The centennial terminal is capable of accommodating some 24,000 passengers daily and AirAsia targets to bring in around 9,000 per day.
Overall, the MIAA expects the NAIA terminals to exceed their 2022 total volume of 30.9 million passengers this year.
While NAIA2 was originally designed as a domestic airport, it was used by Philippine Airlines (PAL) as a hub.
But PAL has moved all its international flights at NAIA 2 to NAI Terminal 1 as of June 16, 2023. The government has likewise transferred all of its immigration counters and officers to Terminal 1 and 3.
Cebu Pacific (CEB) continues to operate at NAIA Terminal 3 and 4. A number of foreign carriers also moved their operations to Terminal 3.
AirAsia Philippines, for its part, welcomed the terminal reassignment.
"NAIA Terminal 2 offers more amenities and levels up the customer experience," commented Chief Executive Officer Ricky Isla. "It's a winning move for our guests as we aim to expand our route network, and provide Filipinos with a better alternative for air travel."
Still, the budget carrier is preparing for other scenarios such as confusion among guests who may not have looked at the preflight notification sent in advance as early as May via sms and registered email address.
Hence, AirAsia established a customer happiness desk at NAIA Terminal 3 and 4 to assist guests via shuttle service to Terminal 2 during the first few weeks of the transfer.
“We’ve invested heavily in information dissemination. But it is inevitable for some guests to be confused in the beginning,” added Isla.