This is “to improve traffic flow and passenger comfort,” the airport’s operator said.
According to New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the private operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the main arrival curbside at Terminal 1 has been opened to all private vehicles, ending the years-long restriction of the area to VIPs.
NNIC said that this “provides a more inclusive and convenient experience for arriving travelers and their loved ones, as part of a broader effort to improve traffic flow and passenger comfort at one of the airport’s busiest terminals.”
In tandem with the opening the T1 arrival curbside, the new management has implemented a reconfigured pick-up system for private vehicles, ride-hailing services, and metered taxis.
NNIC will allow private vehicles to use the 14 designated loading bays, from A1 to A14.
Bays A8 and A9, meanwhile, have been assigned for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Bays A11 and A12 will continue to be reserved for VIP pickups, while Bays A13 and A14 will be designated for hotel transfer pickups.
Terminal Transfer shuttle bus services, which allows transiting passengers to go to Terminals 2 and 3, will also operate from the curbside area as its stops are located just a few steps beyond Bay A14.
Bays B1 to B6 has also added as a meet-and-greet section, as well booths for ride-hailing service Grab.
“Rent-a-Car services, coupon taxis, and yellow metered taxis will be relocated to the arrival extension area on the ground level. This adjustment is expected to further decongest the main terminal curbside while maintaining reliable public transport access,” NNIC noted.
The reconfiguration of the NAIA T1 arrival curbside area comes a month after a similar project was initiated at Terminal 3, where a centralized ride-hailing and taxi hub was launched within the multi-level parking building.
NNIC, then-known as SMC SAP & Co., is a consortium led by San Miguel Corporation was chosen by the government in February 2024 to handle the operations of NAIA for 15 years, with an optional extension for another 10 years.
The NAIA rehab project is also notably one of the “fastest solicited PPP (public-private partnership) projects of the Philippine government,” DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said in the past as the project was initiated in February 2023 and took in proposals until August 2023.
Aside from NAIA, San Miguel is also spearheading the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan, which is scheduled to partially open in 2027 and will have an estimated capacity of 200 million passengers per annum once fully developed.