The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is satisfied with the turnout of the second phase of its Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program, which saw the relocation of five airlines to NAIA Terminal 3 and the transfer of four Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to NAIA Terminal 1.
The five airlines that relocated to NAIA Terminal 3 on Sunday, April 16 were Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, China Southern Airlines, Scoot, and Starlux Airlines. PAL flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh likewise transferred smoothly to NAIA Terminal 1 on the same day.
MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong said that the agency was pleased with how well the airlines and ground handlers transitioned to the new terminal assignments. He noted that only two percent of passengers were misrouted, while none were offloaded as a result of the terminal reassignment.
Of those misrouted passengers, 28 were in Terminal 1 and 43 were in Terminal 2. In anticipation of some passengers finding themselves in the wrong terminal, MIAA deployed free shuttles in Terminals 1 and 2. The ground handlers on the other hand ensured presence of their personnel at the departure gates to assist passengers with their needs.
Chiong explained that terminal changes occur for airlines all over the world, depending on the airport at which they operate. He said that it is all for the betterment of the system as a whole.
“Their passengers are our passengers. These passengers are our customers. Of course, we want to support the airlines. With the STAR program, our on-time performance will improve further, passengers will have a better airport experience and everyone will benefit,” Chiong said.
The STAR program is a three-phase undertaking that aims to optimize the capacity of the four NAIA terminals. In the third phase, all domestic flights of PAL, Philippines AirAsia and Royal Air Philippines will be operated from NAIA Terminal 2 starting July 1.
Moreover, Jeju Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Thai Airways and Gulf Air will transfer to NAIA Terminal 3 on June 1. While all international flights of PAL will transfer to NAIA Terminal 1 wholly by June 16.
According to the MIAA, this carefully planned program aims to improve the efficiency of the four NAIA terminals by making NAIA Terminal 2 a purely domestic terminal, as it was originally intended when it was built in the late 1990s.
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