History
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Nichols Field runway, currently Runway 13/31, with Pasay and Manila in the background, taken prior to 1941
Early history[edit]
Manila's original airport, Grace Park Airfield (also known as Manila North) in Grace Park, Caloocan (then a municipality of Rizal), opened in 1935. It was the city's first commercial airport and was used by the Philippine Aerial Taxi Company (later Philippine Airlines) for its first domestic routes.
In July 1937, Nielson Airport, located in the 45-hectare (4,800,000 ft2) land in Makati, also then in Rizal, was inaugurated and served as the gateway to Manila; its runways now form Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. Following World War II and Philippine independence, Grace Park Airfield ceased operations, while Nielson Airport continued to operate until it was decommissioned in 1948.
Airport operations were moved to the current site, Nichols Field, due to the flatter terrain, expanse of greenfield land, and the existing USAF base runway (Runway 13/31), which could be used for the airport. The original one-story bungalow terminal was built adjacent to the runway and served as Terminal 4.
Early operations[edit]
In 1954, the airport's longer international runway (Runway 06/24) and associated taxiways were built, and in 1956, construction was started on a control tower and an international terminal building. The new terminal was designed by Federico Ilustre and was built on the current site of Terminal 2. It was inaugurated on September 22, 1961.
On December 4, 1970, the airport welcomed its first widebody aircraft, a Boeing 747-100 of Northwest Orient Airlines.
On January 22, 1972, a fire caused substantial damage to the terminal, resulting in six casualties.
A slightly smaller terminal was built the following year. This second terminal would serve as the country's international terminal until 1981 when it was converted to a domestic terminal, upon the completion and opening of Terminal 1, a new, higher-capacity terminal. Another fire damaged the old international terminal in May 1985.
The development of the Manila International Airport, which includes Terminal 1, was approved by Executive Order No. 381 immediately after the former airport was destroyed by a fire a month earlier. The project's feasibility study and master plan were conducted by the Airways Engineering Corporation in 1973, supported by a US$29.6 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In 1974, the designs were approved by the Philippine government and the ADB. Construction began in the second quarter of 1978 on a site close to the original Manila Airport, within the jurisdiction of Parañaque, then a municipality of Metro Manila.
Assassination of Ninoy Aquino[edit]
Main article: Assassination of Ninoy Aquino
On August 21, 1983, oppositionist politician Ninoy Aquino attempted to return to the Philippines from exile in the United States, hoping to convince president Ferdinand Marcos to let go of political power after having held his position for nearly two decades. Aquino was assassinated mere moments after exiting his plane at Terminal 1's Gate 8. Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM) personnel escorted Aquino out of the plane to the tarmac, where an agency van awaited. A single gunshot was fired, identified as the one that killed him, with several more shots shots following, killing the alleged assassin, Rolando Galman. Seconds later, gunfire erupted, causing chaos in the plane, the tarmac, and the terminal.
The incident triggered constant protests for the next three years, and along with the crash of the Philippine economy earlier in 1983, is credited as one of the key events which led to the People Power Revolution in 1986 which removed Marcos from power.
Four years after the incident, during the presidency of Ninoy's widow Corazon Aquino in 1987, Republic Act No. 6639 was enacted without executive approval, renaming the airport in Ninoy's honor. Presently, a body mark of Aquino's assassination is on display at the departures area of Terminal 1, while the spot at Gate 8 (currently Gate 11) where he was killed has a memorial plaque.
Expansion and growth[edit]
Logo used alternatively
Saudia Boeing 747-100B docked at NAIA Terminal 1 in May 1989.
Plans for a new terminal were conceived in 1989 when the Department of Transportation and Communications (now Department of Transportation) commissioned the French company Aéroports de Paris to conduct a feasibility study to expand capacity, which recommended to build two new terminals.
In 1991, the French government provided a 30-million-franc soft loan to the Philippine government to fund the detailed architectural and engineering design. ADP finished the design in 1992. The Japanese government followed suit in 1994, providing an ¥18.12-billion soft loan to the Philippine government to finance 75% of the construction costs and the entirety of the supervision costs. The construction of the terminal officially began on December 11, 1995, and the Philippine government took over the completed terminal on December 28, 1998. The terminal became fully operational in 1999.
The construction of Terminal 3 was proposed by Asia's Emerging Dragon Corporation (AEDP). AEDP eventually lost the bid to PairCargo and its partner Fraport AG of Germany. Originally scheduled to open in 2002, a contract dispute between the government of the Philippines and the project's main contractor, Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco), delayed its completion. While the original agreement allowed PairCargo and Fraport AG to operate the airport for several years after its construction, followed by a government handover, the government offered to buy out Fraport AG for US$400 million, to which Fraport agreed. However, before the terminal could be completed, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called the contract "onerous" and formed a committee to evaluate the buyout agreement. The contracts were declared null and void by the Supreme Court in May 2003, the Philippine government took over the terminal in December 2004. Piatco sued the Philippine government before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), while Fraport separately sued the government at the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The ICSID decided in August 2007 in favor of the government, while in January 2012, the ICC case became final and executory in favor of the government. Terminal 3 partially opened in 2008 and became fully operational in 2014, serving Cebu Pacific and most international airlines.
Passenger traffic at NAIA grew rapidly in the early 2010s, significantly outpacing the airport’s designed capacity and contributing to chronic congestion and operational issues. In 2012, NAIA handled approximately 31.88 million passengers, exceeding its optimal capacity of about 30 million passengers per year. By 2015, passenger throughput had risen further to around 36.6 million, surpassing the airport’s maximum capacity of 35 million passengers annually.
In October 2015, reports of an extortion scam concerning bullets planted by airport security officials in airline passengers' luggage, dubbed by the local media the tanim-bala [literally plant-bullet] scam) spread, causing a political controversy. Malacañang Palace and the Philippine Senate investigated the incidents. In April 2016, a similar incident occurred.
Terminal reassignments[edit]
Airbus A320 family aircraft of Cebu Pacific and Philippines AirAsia at the remote gates of Terminal 3 in November 2021, two years before the rationalization of flights which relocated AirAsia's domestic flights to Terminal 2.In February 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) proposed the rationalization of flights to decongest the terminals of NAIA. The original plan called for Terminals 1 and 3 exclusively handling international flights, while Terminals 2 and 4 would facilitate domestic flights. Despite initial plans for implementation in August 2018, the MIAA announced its deferment a month prior due to "unforeseen operational constraints". The plan continued to be under review with no official implementation date set; however, some Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to North America were relocated to Terminal 1 from Terminal 2 in July to accommodate the latter's rehabilitation. By October, four international airlines transferred operations to Terminal 3, freeing up space for United States flight operations at Terminal 1. Subsequently, more airlines from Terminal 1 were scheduled to relocate to Terminal 3.
On December 1, 2022, MIAA officially began to implement the Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program. From April to June 2023, eight foreign airlines moved to Terminal 3. These changes were designed to offer international passengers at Terminals 1 and 3 a wider selection of food and retail outlets, and additional time for duty-free shopping. After PAL completed moving all its international flights to T1 on June 16, 2023, Philippines AirAsia and Royal Air Philippines began operating from Terminal 2 on July 1, thereby reverting the terminal to its original domestic design. While T2 is being expanded, Cebu Pacific's domestic and international operations remained at Terminal 3.
On February 24, 2026, another terminal reassignment was announced under the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation's plans. The reassignment will take place on March 29, 2026, and the selected airlines will move to their respective terminals: Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Japan Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines will move from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, while international flights of the AirAsia Group will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1.
Turboprop reassignments[edit]
Ahead of NAIA's privatization, in July 2024, the Philippine government reportedly planned to reassign turboprop flights in Manila to secondary airports. At the time, the government had no official policy for the transfer, but Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan encouraged airlines to move its turboprop flights to Clark International Airport.
On December 3, 2024, the Manila Slot Coordination Committee (MSCC), a public-private regulatory committee which regulates NAIA's slots, issued a resolution to direct airlines to completely transfer its turboprop flights out of Manila to secondary airports by October 2025. The rationalization aims to maximize the use of airport slots in Manila, which would exclusively be dedicated to jet aircraft. It would be implemented in three phases: with the MSCC requiring scheduled domestic carriers to transfer 30% of its turboprop flights by March 2025, followed by all such flights by October, and finally, airlines with a turboprop fleet fewer than five planes would follow suit by March 2026.
The transfer also aims to maximize Clark International Airport's capacity, as it had been underserved since the opening of its expanded terminal in 2022, designed to handle eight million passengers annually. Cebgo, the turboprop subsidiary of Cebu Pacific, then announced the transfer of its Masbate and Siargao flights to Clark.
Attempts at privatization[edit]
In September 2014, the government began exploring the airport's privatization under a public–private partnership. The move was intended to improve and expand the airport. Bidding for the airport’s privatization was initially planned to commence in 2015, with the objective of completing the process and transferring operations to a private concessionaire by 2016. Several major Philippine conglomerates were reported to have expressed interest in bidding for the airport’s operations and maintenance contract, including Aboitiz, Ayala Corporation, and Megawide were reportedly interested in bidding for the airport's operations and maintenance, with the latter being the operator of the Mactan–Cebu International Airport, whose public–private partnership process was intended to serve as the model for the airport’s planned privatization.
On February 12, 2018, a consortium of seven conglomerates consisting of Aboitiz InfraCapital, AC Infrastructure Holdings (Ayala), Alliance Global, Asia's Emerging Dragon, Filinvest Development Corporation, JG Summit Holdings, and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (which later pulled out in March 2020) submitted a ₱350 billion, or US$6.75 billion, 35-year unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate, expand, operate, and maintain the airport. The consortium's proposal was divided into two phases: the improvement and expansion of terminals in the current NAIA land area and the development of an additional runway, taxiways, passenger terminals, and associated support infrastructure. Changi Airport Consultants Pte. Ltd., was to provide technical support. Singapore's Changi Airport Group eyed a 30% stake in this venture.
On March 1, 2018, Megawide and its India-based consortium partner GMR Infrastructure submitted a ₱150 billion, or US$3 billion, proposal to decongest and redevelop the airport. GMR-Megawide did not propose a new runway, claiming that it would not significantly boost capacity.
On July 7, 2020, the NAIA consortium's proposal was rejected by the government, allowing GMR-Megawide to take over the project. On December 15, however, MIAA revoked the original proponent status (OPS) of GMR-Megawide, who then filed a motion for reconsideration. The MIAA denied the motion for reconsideration. In August 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced plans to rebid the public–private partnership project within the year.
Privatization and rehabilitation[edit]
Following a major airspace closure on January 1, 2023, plans to privatize the airport were pitched again. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno supported such plans, but maintained that it should be "thoroughly studied". On April 27, the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC), composed of six organizations (Alliance Global, AC Infrastructure Holdings under Ayala Corporation, Infracorp Development, Filinvest Development Corporation, and JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings) submitted a ₱100 billion 25-year unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate the airport. This proposal was subsequently rejected by the administration of President Bongbong Marcos on July 19, which opted to go through solicited bidding instead.
As part of its rehabilitation, Terminal 3 added a dedicated immigration hall for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 2025
The solicited concession agreement is set for fifteen years, with a ten-year extension if needed in case the opening of New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan and Sangley Point Airport in Cavite would be delayed. The bidding opened on August 23, 2023. Four consortia submitted bids on the December 27 deadline: MIAC, Asian Airports Consortium (consisting of Lucio Co's Cosco Capital, Inc.; Asian Infrastructure and Management Corp., Philippine Skylanders International, Inc., and PT Angkasa Pura II), GMR Airports Consortium, and SMC SAP & Co. Consortium, a consortium led by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and Incheon International Airport Corporation—the operator of Incheon International Airport in South Korea, with RMM Asian Logistics Inc. and RLW Aviation Development Inc. The Asian Airports Consortium was disqualified in the bidding after it was deemed non-compliant.
On February 16, 2024, the DOTr awarded the contract to SMC SAP & Co. Consortium, later renamed as New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC). the contract was signed on March 18, witnessed by President Marcos. NNIC offered the biggest revenue share with the government at 82.16%, more than double the proposed revenue shares of GMR Airports Consortium (33.30%) and MIAC (25.91%). The consortium also made the initial ₱30 billion payment to the government. With the privatization, the national government is expected to earn ₱900 billion, or ₱36 billion annually. On September 14, 2024, the MIAA turned over the operations and maintenance of the airport to NNIC. The operator's parent company, which is also constructing NMIA in Bulacan, decided to prioritize the rehabilitation of NAIA.
The turnover was followed by a series of airport fee hikes. On October 1, NNIC increased parking fees. The overnight parking fees, which quadrupled from ₱300 to ₱1,200, drew criticism from motorists; however, both NNIC and the DOTr defended the move, as it is designed to deter the misuse of parking slots. According to NNIC, previous parking rates were used by non-passengers, which contributed to congestion. Nevertheless, NNIC is developing a 4-hectare (9.9-acre) area near Terminal 3 for a 2,500-slot parking space. On the same day, it increased takeoff and landing fees, causing Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Philippines AirAsia to propose a "terminal enhancement fee" to cover the higher fees, pending approval of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Additionally, passenger service charges were expected to increase in September 2025, the first increase since 2000.
