MIAA Goes Back To Earth


Not So Novel Idea After All!

21 March 2018

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is not transferring flights to Clark International Airport after finding that airport's terminal capacity is still within manageable limits.

General manager Ed Monreal clarified that at this time NAIA schedules are still within limits. NAIA fight schedules is being prepared by Airport Coordination Australia(ACA).

Monreal said peak times are already closed but there are still lean time available at the airport. Operators wanting to operate at peak times were however advised to land in Clark instead.

Earlier in February, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said airport authorities have six months to decongest and reorganize NAIA. He then suggested to transfer some flights to Clark.

Monreal said that what Speaker Alvarez meant was that excess traffic would be relocated to Clark.

"So far there is no excess at this time. Our schedule prepared by ACA are still within manageable limits. There is no mandate to automatically transfer planes or flights to Clark." Monreal explained.

Terminal assignment is however a different matter.

Monreal said the plan is for all of Philippine Airlines’s (PAL) international flights from Terminal 1 and 2 to be relocated to Terminal 3. Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Thai Airways and Saudia Airlines, however, will continue to operate in Terminal 1.

Terminal 2 would become a domestic airport for flights of PAL, PAL Express and Cebu Pacific. The international flights of 27 foreign carriers would be transferred to Terminal 3.

The airport manager said Terminal 4 would still be used by Air Asia, Cebgo, Sky Jet and Air Swift.

Terminals 1 and 3 are intended for international flights while Terminals 2 and 4 are for domestic ones.

Monreal said that "mixed use" of the airport terminals has to end, and vowed to change the system solely for the Terminals intended purposes.

"Terminal 3 should all be international and Terminal 2 should go back to being domestic" Monreal said.

"The problem with Terminal 2 is that its not enough to accommodate all domestic bound passengers" Monreal said.

It is on this end that Alvarez laments rationalization plan to transfer some domestic flights to the CIA that can't be accommodated by Terminal 2.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific offered win-sin solutions to the airport operator claiming expansion of terminal 3 instead of segregating terminal operations.

“Our proposal that would see the construction of a new concourse within the existing Terminal 3 area and be designated as Terminal 3 Domestic, but will leverage the common infrastructure, terminal and ramp areas of the current Terminal 3. We estimate this will increase total Terminal 3 capacity from 14 million to 28 million,” the airline said.

PAL Head of Operations Ismael Gozon said the company supports the objective of terminal rationalization and the intended timelines set by airport authorities, but said the plan is not solution to the problem instead the expansion of Terminal 2.

DOTr is currently preparing the contract for Terminal 2 expansion to accommodate both PAL and Cebu Pacific domestic passengers. Bidding papers for this project will come out soon.

9 comments:

  1. Hi, I wanted to ask if you have done any posts about the growth of Pilot training schools in the Philippines? If you would like to do this kindly reach out to us we have a website covering more than 200 Pilot training schools in the Asia Pacific region including all the schools in the Philippines. https://www.aviationfly.com/pilot/training-institutes/

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  2. How about the latest developments at Lufthansa Technik Philippines. Thanks

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    1. Did LTP already change their logo? Since Lufthansa already transitioned to a blue livery

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  3. This is just me. Why dont they connect T1, T2, and T4. Move out all non-commercial passenger traffic around that area. With that they can have seamless connection from those 3 Terminals, thus increasing capacity. T3 they can expand with new concourses, also increasing capacity. How to implement it is another subject. With regards to the runways, then, I think, is for another discussion.

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Admin, please correct the grammar about what Sir Melo (Ismael Gozon) said for clarification. Parang may kulang or mali.

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  6. I dont think PAL would give up T2 for domestic flights easily. Theyre building a new international lounge there, and are in preparations in accomodating their A350 in June. Also, T2 was indeed originally designed as a domestic terminal by Aeroports Paris, but was upgraded to accomodate international flights as well, albeit with limited capacity. It would also be useful if they use some kind of a similation software if the new 'rationalization' will not result to delays since it changes the movement of aircraft going to and from the runways, or will this optimize the use of the runways.

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    1. If the government really insists for this scheme, one option for PAL if they don't want their lounge investment at T2 be wasted is that they can still let international business class passengers and top-tier frequent fliers check-in exclusively at T2 so they can use the new lounge, then shuttle them by bus to T1 and access the jet bridge by stairs. But during arrivals, all passengers will disembark at T1. Logistically, there will be more inbound baggage at T2 and more outbound at T1. If they were able to use T1 for LAX and SFO arrivals while departures were still at T2, they can do this scheme as well. PAL can also add a temporary arrivals lounge at T1. I believe there should be no issue here since this is what Lufthansa is doing for its first class passengers. They have separate check-in at the dedicated first class terminal in FRA and shuttle the passengers by limousine to the tarmac and access the aircraft by stairs. Qatar Airways also did a similar scheme at their old Doha airport (before Hamad opened), where they had a dedicated premium terminal for first and business class passengers and they shuttle the them to the tarmac by buses.

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  7. It looks like that Starting August 31, 2018 Several Airlines will be recived new Terminal assignments as follwed.

    Terminal 1
    Etihad Airways (EY)
    Japan Airlines (JL)
    Philippine Airlines (PR) - International flights.
    Saudia (SV)
    Thai (TG)

    Terminal 2
    Cebu Pacific (5J) - Domestic flights
    Philippine Airlines (PR) - Domestic flights.

    Terminal 3
    Air China (CA)
    Air Nugini (PX)
    Asiana Airlines (OZ)
    China Airlines (CI)
    China Eastern (MU)
    China Southern (CZ)
    EVA Air (BR)
    Gulf Air (GF)
    Jeju Air (7C)
    Jetstar Asia Airways (JQ)
    Korean Air (KE)
    Oman Air (WY)
    Malaysia Airlines (MH)
    Qantas (QF)
    Qatar Airways (QR)
    Rayal Brunei (RB)
    Scout Air (TR) - in the article it is mention as Tigerair.
    Xiamen Air (MF)

    Not mention are: Air Asia (AK), All Nippon Airways (NH), Cathay Pacific (CX), Cebu Pacific (International flights), Delta Airlines (DL), Emirates (EK), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Jetstar Japan (JQ), KLM (KL), Philippine Air Asia (Z2), Shenzhen Airlines (ZH), Singapore Airlines (SQ), Turkish Airlines and United Airlines (UA).

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