The departure section at the NAIA ... rated low by international ratings groups.
MANILA: It has been branded over and
over as one of the world’s worst airports. But Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (Naia) has a little known advantage that even top-rated airports in the
West don’t offer. And a local tourism official hopes to spread the word around—and
abroad.
According to Assistant Tourism Secretary
Benito Bengzon Jr, it takes only 25 minutes for passengers arriving at Naia to
complete the airport process—from disembarkation to clearing immigration and
customs to getting a cab or meeting welcomers outside the airport.
That advantage, if effectively marketed,
could attract more tourists to the Philippines.
Preliminary figures show international
traffic at Naia reached 14.2 million travelers last year, up 8.78% from 13.07
million in 2011.
But the Manila International Airport
Authority (MIAA), Naia’s operator, has yet to analyze the figures to separate
tourist arrivals from returning migrant workers and visiting overseas
Filipinos.
“The advantage of Naia is that in about
three to four minutes, from the time the plane touches down, it is already at
the bridge or tube … taxi time is shorter at Naia compared with bigger
international airports abroad,” Bengzon told reporters before Christmas.
“You try to check your watch when you
travel to a large airport. Taxiing after landing really takes time and
sometimes you have to go through a bus gate so you will still have to be
shuttled to the terminal,” he said.
Joint effort
Bengzon attributed the faster process at
Naia, which many travelers may have taken for granted, to the improved system
at the immigration section.
“This is a joint effort of various
agencies … so even if our airport is old and small, there are still advantages
… and I hope you can spread the word around,” Bengzon said.
But flights arriving or leaving on time
are another thing.
According to Bengzon, however, travelers
can expect more punctual flights at Naia within the year, especially after the
installation of night landing equipment in 14 major domestic airports across the
country.
Last year, the travel guide Frommer’s
ranked Naia as the second worst airport in the world, behind New York’s John F.
Kennedy Airport.
Naia, particularly its Terminal 1, used
to be the world’s worst airport.
That ranking was based on surveys of
travelers, whose complaints included “safety concerns, lack of comfortable
seats, rude staff, hostile security, poor facilities, no or few services to
pass the time” and “bribery”.
Last month, the Department of Budget and
Management said it released P933.8 million for the acquisition of night landing
equipment for the airports of Tuguegarao, San Jose in Mindoro, Busuanga, Naga,
Legazpi, Roxas, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Pagadian, Ozamis, Cotabato,
Butuan and Surigao.
The airports will be equipped for air
traffic services, airfield lighting, communications and power supply, among
other things.
The improvements will allow flights to
land and depart after sunset and before sunrise, easing the congestion at Naia,
Bengzon said.
With congestion eased and, it is hoped,
eliminated, airlines can mount additional flights to Manila, boosting tourist
traffic to the Philippines.
Departures, arrivals
Preliminary figures from the MIAA showed
overseas arrivals and departures at Naia increased by 1.14 million last year.
The MIAA reported that 14,218,374
passengers took international flights at Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
The total traffic represents an increase
of 8.78 percent from 13,070,447 for the three terminals in 2011.
Terminal 3, which has yet to be opened
for full operation, posted a more than one-third increase in international
passenger volume.
The terminal served 2,396,393
international passengers in 2012 compared to 1,738,411 in 2011—an increase of
37.8%.
In contrast, international passenger
volume at Terminals 1 and 2 rose by only 4.5 percent and 3.9 percent,
respectively.
The MIAA has yet to release a detailed
analysis of the passenger increase.
The previous year saw several foreign
and domestic airlines, mostly operating out of Terminal 3, offering low-cost
overseas trips or launching new direct services to Southeast Asian and East
Asian destinations.
Cebu Pacific, for instance, launched
direct flights to Bali, Indonesia and Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The increase in international flights
may also be attributed to the government’s aggressive tourism promotion to
attract more foreigners and overseas Filipinos to visit the Philippines.
But the international passenger volume
also includes the thousands of overseas Filipino workers displaced by the Arab
Spring in the Middle East and North Africa or who lost their jobs because of
the recession in developed countries.
These arrivals are not supposed to be
counted as tourists or visitors. - Inquirer
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