Passengers can soon enjoy more options before boarding their flights.
In a recent press statement, New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), which operates Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), announced the next phase of changes coming to the Terminal 3.
After improvements have already been introduced on the landside area of T3 over the past year and a half since the NNIC took over, where more than 40 new restaurants and retail concepts have been opened.
NNIC said the additions are part of its ongoing effort to make better use of T3 space and convert underused areas into amenities that can serve more passengers throughout the day. At the landside area, this meant offices and other spaces were repurposed for passenger use.
Now, they are putting the same breadth of options at the airside area (post-Immigration and security checks).
Starting the end of August, restaurants that will be opened at the international airside area include Cibo, Shake Shack, Caravan Black, Wildflour, Conti’s, Ramen Nagi, BHC Chicken, Gloria Maris, Love A Bowl, Ladurée, Venchi, Voyager by Chele and Baby Crosta.
Meanwhile, on the domestic side, a new 350-square-meter Starbucks Reserve is also set to open in July.
“Our goal is to make T3 more useful and comfortable for more passengers,” the NNIC management said. “We are reworking available spaces so they can serve travelers better throughout the day.”
According to NNIC, Terminal 3 is an “immediate priority” for them because of its passenger volume, space constraints and need for more food, beverage and service options, especially in the international departure area.
Notably, the said airport terminal also helped NAIA rank seventh globally for layover food options and sixth for most affordable airport lounge access in a study of the world’s 50 busiest airports by the UK-based Airport Parking and Hotels in March 2026.
This, at the airside, the operator had already previously launched the likes of the Mezzanine Food Hall on Level 2 and Tambayan Food Hall on Level 1, presenting various food options for passengers.
FIRST MERIDIAN LOUNGE
Meanwhile, a new shared premium lounge at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 is now being used by seven international airlines less than a month after it was opened.
Located on Level 4 of Terminal 3, First Meridian Lounge is a 2,600-square-meter privately operated third-party facility serving eligible business class and premium passengers of participating airlines such as Thai Airways, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Cathay Pacific, KLM and Qatar Airways.
According to NNIC, “more carriers” are also expected to join in the coming months, with the exact names yet to be made available.
The lounge operates under NAIA’s commercial arrangements with airport concessionaires and forms part of a broader terminal space optimization effort by the NNIC.
The common-use model consolidates premium lounge services into one larger facility that can serve multiple airlines, instead of maintaining separate spaces that may only be active during certain airline flight windows.
“This allows eligible premium passengers to continue enjoying lounge access while freeing up space for amenities that can benefit a wider range of travelers,” NNIC noted.
The First Meridian Lounge offers eligible premium travelers a larger common-use space to dine, work, rest and recharge before boarding.
Along with spacious seating areas, high-speed Wi-Fi, workstations, shower facilities and real-time flight information displays, the lounge features amenities not typically available in smaller dedicated airline lounges, including infant care rooms, sleep pods, private rooms, children’s play rooms, game and golf simulators and quiet zones.
Its expanded food and beverage offering also includes local and international selections, a bakery, teppanyaki station, halal section, full-service bar and wine cellar.
“This shared lounge supports our effort to improve the passenger experience at NAIA while using terminal space more efficiently,” NNIC said.
“It gives eligible passengers of participating airlines a more comfortable and reliable pre-flight experience, while allowing us to create more space for food, beverage, retail and other amenities that benefit more travelers.”
NNIC said the larger shared lounge brings NAIA closer to the premium lounge offerings found in major international airports, where common-use and third-party operated facilities serve eligible passengers across airlines, lounge memberships and access programs.
This model, it told, allows airports to improve passenger amenities while managing limited terminal space more efficiently.
First Meridian Lounge is one of several collaborations between NNIC, concessionaires and service partners aligned with NAIA’s modernization program.
NNIC said it will continue working with airlines and commercial partners to enhance comfort, convenience and efficiency across the airport.
MAXIMIZING FLOOR AREA AMID SPACE CONSTRAINTS
NNIC said the conversion of old office spaces and other underutilized areas is “now being applied to other parts of T3,” including former lounge areas and other spaces that can be converted into restaurants, cafés, retail concepts and amenities for a broader range of passengers.
“We want to make sure that our limited terminal space benefits more travelers. Better food choices, more comfortable waiting areas and more useful passenger amenities are part of the airport experience we want to build,” it told.
NNIC said similar space reviews and commercial improvements are also being carried out in other terminals as part of a broader effort to provide more passenger-serving amenities across the airport.
Furthermore, the expansion of dining and retail choices is also part of the larger NAIA’s modernization program, which includes improvements in passenger flow, terminal comfort, commercial services and overall airport efficiency.