MIAA closes NAIA Terminals 2, 3 and 4; Moves all Flights to T1

The Manila International Airport Authority said Thursday said that it moved all flights to Terminal 1 as airlines cut operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, the MIAA closed down the other terminals to cut down on utility costs and personnel exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Starting March 28, Gulf Air, Korean Airlines, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Hong Kong Air, Eva Air, Japan Airlines, Jeju Air, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Royal Brunei will operate in Terminal 1, MIAA stated.

In an announcement on March 27, the MIAA said with only one terminal, this would minimize cost on utilities. Likewise, this would support the execution of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), as a lesser  number of personnel would need to report for work. This could lessen the exposure of airport workers while ensuring continuous operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, stated MIAA GM Ed Monreal.

Oman Air would stop operations starting March 26, while Singapore Airlines and Royal Brunei will suspend flights from beginning March 29, the airport authority said.

PAL, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia have suspended operations due to Luzon-wide lockdown and the travel constraints imposed by other nations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MIAA earlier closed NAIA Terminal 4, the domestic wings of Terminals 2 and 3, following a ban on local air travel ordered by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Some 28 flights were scheduled to fly in and fly out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday, information from the Manila International Airport Office showed.

All regional carriers earlier declared a temporary halt in their operations, with PAL starting the temporary suspension of its international flights on Thursday until April 14. PAL, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines momentarily stopped domestic services in support of the Luzon enhanced community quarantine that was wide.

Regional government units also implemented travel constraints, forcing the airlines to stop their domestic operations. MIAA’s records revealed there were some 33 scheduled arriving and departing flights on March 26. These figures are lower than the average of 760 daily flights in NAIA in 2019, and a mean of 774 flights in January 2020.

The passenger numbers in NAIA fell to 30 percent in Feb when compared to the same period last year. There was a decrease of approximately 476, 000 passengers in Feb, MIAA general director Ed Monreal said.

Flight frequencies in Feb, arriving and departing combined decreased by 25% compared to Feb 2019, he added. Before this month, Civil Aeronautics Board’s executive director Carmelo Arcilla said the aviation industry is facing quite severe challenges, which the effects of Covid-19 from the sector have become more intense.

More airlines have declared a stop in their operations in Manila: Oman Air beginning March 26, Jeju Air starting March 27, Singapore Airlines, and Royal Brunei beginning March 29. Based on MIAA’s record, just 10 airlines are scheduled to continue operating to/from NAIA. These are Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Eva Air, Gulf Air, and Qatar Airways.

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