Passenger volume swells as PAL international flights move to NAIA Terminal 1

MANILA, Philippines – Long lines formed at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Friday, June 16, the first day of the transfer of all Philippine Airlines (PAL) international flights from Terminal 2.

Meanwhile, all domestic flights of PAL will now operate from Terminal 2, alongside domestic flights of AirAsia.

The reassignments are part of the Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program of the Manila International Airport Authority, which started on April 16. Under the program, MIAA estimates the capacity of Terminal 2 to increase from 7.5 million to 10 million passengers a year.

Terminal 2 was originally designed as a domestic terminal with continuous passenger flow. But in the 1990s, PAL began to use Terminal 2 exclusively for its international and domestic operations, an arrangement that was entered into during a time of financial distress for the flagship carrier.

Prior to this, PAL also began moving flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, and Phnom Penh to Terminal 1.

See the full list of terminal reassignments here. – Rappler.com