From a passenger capacity of 4.5 million in 1981, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is now capable of handling around 200,000 flights and more than 24 million passengers in the year 2009.

The airport complex, consisting of 4 terminals, now holds a capacity of more than 32 million passengers a year, serviced by 30 international airlines and continues to be the main international gateway of the country, as it has been for the past decades.

Despite the emergence of new airports with international flight capabilities in the last two years, the NAIA complex handled about 90% of all international traffic in the country. Including domestic passenger movement, NAIA accounted for about 75% total passenger traffic.

Contributing to capacity building was the commercial start-up of Terminal 3 in July 22, 2008, with a soft opening that initially involved domestic flights from Cebu Pacific, followed by other domestic flights from PAL Express and Air Philippines.

Currently, the NAIA Terminal 3 is handling about half or about 7.5 million passengers of its designed capacity of 13 million passengers yearly.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Alfonso Cusi also cited the successful certification of the main international terminal, NAIA T1 to the global 9001:2008 ISO Standards of Quality Management Service as well as the continuing strength, secure and safe conduct of its airport operations through the terminal management concept.