MIAA calls on international passengers to arrive 4 hours before flight

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has called on travelers to head to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) four hours before international flights and two hours before domestic flights, as it expects 20,000 additional passengers daily starting in the Holy Week.

According to MIAA Senior Assistant General Manager Bryan Co, passengers should come ahead of time to make way for the processing and the expected surge in the number of passengers up until the summer season.

“Of course the earlier, the better para hindi po tayo nagmamadali sa ating mga iba’t ibang proseso katulad ng check-in, pagdaan sa final security or going through immigration kung papunta po kayo sa international flights,” he said in a televised public briefing on Tuesday.

“Importante po na kumpleto ang ating mga dokumentong dala dala,” he added.

(Of course the earlier, the better so there would be no rush in the processing like check-in, passing through final security or going through immigration for international flights. It is important to bring complete documents.)

Earlier this month a viral video circulated online, with a passenger saying she failed to catch her flight due to a lengthy interview with an immigration officer who asked her to show a yearbook among others as part of the supporting documents for her trip to Israel.

The MIAA said it expects some 140,000 passengers to pass through NAIA daily starting in the Holy Week, higher than the current 120,000 passengers. This is expected to last through the summer season.

Some 41 million to 43 million passengers are expected throughout the year, up from the 31 million in 2022, as a number of countries have opened their borders following the lockdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Talagang todo po ang ating preparasyon para maiwasan ang aberya, ang delays, or ang cancellations ng flight para sa ikabubuti ng paglalakbay ng ating pasahero,” Co said.

(We are preparing fully to avoid any hitches, delays, or flight cancellations for the convenience of the passengers.)

Co said MIAA is also working on the Terminal Assignment Rationalization Program, which will have the Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) dedicated to domestic flights, as was originally planned in its design.

It aims to have the terminal cater to only domestic flights starting July, after moving some international flights to Terminal 1 earlier this year. The remaining international flights are set to be moved by June.

The agency is also in the process of designing a lounge for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Terminal 3, which it seeks to open by the fourth quarter of the year.—AOL, GMA Integrated News