By Henry Empeño | October 7, 2025

INNOVATIONS introduced by the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) within one year of taking over the management and operation of 76-year-old Ninoy Aquino Internation Airport (NAIA) are finally modernizing the country’s premier gateway and maximizing its potentials as an international hub.

San Miguel Corporation president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said in a statement Tuesday that NNIC has vastly upgraded NAIA’s capability, enabling it to handle 283,771 flights that brought in 51.7 million passengers, or 2.9 million more than the numbers in the same period the previous year.

Over that one-year period, NNIC also remitted more than P52 billion to the government, Ang said, adding that the firm is turning over 82 percent of the airport’s revenues to the national treasury.

“It is a demanding task to operate an airport the size and scale of NAIA,” Ang observed. “But NNIC has surpassed all expectations since it took over NAIA a little more than a year ago.”

“The airport is now running more flights and serving more passengers, all in safety and on time, thanks to the dedication of our people on the front lines and behind the scenes,” he added.

The NNIC, a consortium that includes San Miguel Holdings Corp. and Incheon International Airport Corp., officially took over NAIA on September 14 last year, vowing to introduce immediate improvements in terminal capacity, passenger processing, baggage handling, runway maintenance, and traffic flow.

It also set long-term goals: a new terminal building to accommodate additional 35 million passengers annually, flood mitigation in surrounding areas, and a link between NAIA and the Metro Manila Subway.

Thus far, Ang said that with only P3.5 billion spent out of the P72 billion it committed for the five-year modernization project, the NNIC has rolled out a new biometric facial recognition system to expedite security screening and boarding; installed 11,820 new chairs and 21 new air-conditioning units; upgraded Wi-Fi from 1G to 10G; deployed 2,500 baggage trolleys; and ensured full operation of all escalators, walkalators, and elevators at the NAIA.

Ang also cited the completion of the OFW Lounge at Terminal 3, which had so far served nearly half a million departing and arriving Filipino overseas workers. A second lounge is under construction at Terminal 1, Ang added.

Outside the terminal, the NNIC has reconfigured aircraft parking stands, improved taxiways, and removed abandoned aircraft to free up valuable space for smoother operations. These allowed the addition of new domestic and international routes with 47 airline partners at the NAIA.

San Miguel’s top honcho also pointed out that the transportation system between terminals has greatly improved with the deployment of 20 new shuttle buses capable of serving half a million travelers.

Baggage handling was also streamlined to ensure processing of 51.3 million bags, thus keeping pace with passenger surge and eliminating the long queues that bedeviled NAIA in the past, he said.

To further modernize NAIA operations, Ang said the San Miguel conglomerate has ordered 34 new boarding bridges, and expects 60 new immigration eGates to become operational by December to speed up departures and arrivals.

The NNIC is also renovating six restrooms, and has scheduled the construction of 10 more units to improve passenger comfort at the airport.

Moreover, the airport management has aimed for the sustainability of the airport ecosystem by introducing a Tenant Environmental Handbook, which required water conservation, composting, and energy efficiency and banned single-use plastics at the NAIA, as well as clearing some 266,463 tons of waste and silt from surrounding waterways to protect the airport from floods.

Ang said the NNIC has also begun embracing global standards—pursuing ISO certifications in quality, environment, and safety to transform NAIA into an airport every Filipino can be proud of. 