NAIA is 5th worst airport in Asia — travel site survey

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the fifth worst airport in Asia, according to the latest survey results of the travel site sleepinginairports.net.

NAIA at fifth is three notches up from last year's eighth in the travel site's Asia ranking.

According to sleepinginairports.net, the respondents were concerned by the "tanim-bala" or bullet planting scam, frequent power outages, lapses in air conditioning, uncomfortable and insufficient seating, and complicated terminal transfers – the main reasons for the negative review.

"I think the survey was conducted last year. So those mentioned such as 'yung tanim bala, kulang na upuan have been addressed head on," Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal told GMA News Online.

"The survey is a guide for to us address these issues and work on to improve the airport... and eventually mawala na sa worst airports list," he added.

Despite the "worst" ranking, the respondents took notice of the NAIA's cleaner bathrooms, more chairs, and some general organization of taxis in front of the terminal.

4 PHL gateways on best 30 list

The country's main gateway topped the travel site's list of world's worst airports in 2011 and 2013. NAIA was the fourth world's worst airport in 2014 and Asia's worst in 2012.

Uzbekistan's Tashkent International Airport topped this year's worst airports on Asia list. Nepal's Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport followed, and Peshawar Bacha Khan International Airport in Pakistan ranked third.

Completing Asia's 10 worst airports were Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan placed (4th), Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Pakistan (6th), India's Chennai International Airport (7th), China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (8th), Bangladesh's Shahjalal International Airport (9th), and Cambodia's Siem Reap International Airport (9th).

Four other Philippine gateways were included on the list of the 30 best airports in Asia, namely Iloilo International Airport (12th), Mactan-Cebu International Airport (14th), Clark International Airport (15th),  and Davao City’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport (26th). — VDS, GMA News