Terminal 2 Expansion Set

2 August 2014

After completing Terminal 3, the Transportation Department has formally announced that it will be expanding the Aeroports de Paris designed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 next year.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya said on Friday they are already starting the groundwork of Terminal 2 expansion project by constructing the apron in front of the Philippine Village Hotel to accommodate the growing wide body fleet of Philippine Airlines.

Terminal 2 building expansion however has to wait for a year or so says Abaya who said there are still legal issues, primarily valuation and compensation, that needs to be resolve involving the Philippine Village Hotel building which is earmarked for demolition.

The Centennial Terminal expansion project would cover the north wing and the south wing expected to double the existing terminal capacity from 7.5 million to 15 Million passengers per annum.

Abaya said the south wing expansion project would also cover the demolition of the exiting fuel farm which will be relocated to the Nayong Pilipino grounds, and the construction of airway passenger bridge with 2 way walkalator facility similar to Hong Kong airport above the cargo terminal building connecting Terminal 1 and 2.

Also in the pipeline is the underground causeway and passenger walkway with walkalator facilities connecting Terminal 2 and 3 which PIATCO failed to construct when they amended the design contract of Terminal 3 in 1999.

The underground passageway is however dependent on the opening of the parallel 6-24 runway as it requires closure of the crossing 13-31 runway for the duration of the excavation and construction works.

Abaya adds  the construction of a second parallel runway requires the expropriation of about 600 homes adjacent to the airport boundary.

The Transport Department said the underground construction work may coincide with the future expansion of Terminal 3 to the north, instead of putting up new Terminal 5.

DOTC has been proposing a separate budget terminal similar to Clark Airport that will rise beside Terminal 3 to cater to low-cost carrier dubbed "terminal 5" but President Aquino was not receptive of the idea.

"There is talk of a low-cost carrier terminal 5, but are we better off doing it that way than expand Terminal 2 or 3?" says Abaya yesterday.

Abaya said the expansion project should cover passenger capacity shortfall between 2016 until at least 2025 when the new mega airport would have been built. Construction of the new airport is expected to commence in 2017. 

NAIA managed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), was the 34th busiest airport in the world with recorded passenger traffic of 32.8 million passengers in 2013.