The private operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is upbeat that it could erase the stigma of being “among the worst airport in the world” as it partners with an American technology company reputed to be one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace products.
“NAIA will be one of the most modern and efficient airports in the region,” said business tycoon Ramon Ang who heads the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) after sealing a deal with Collins Aerospace, a North Carolina-based firm formed in 2018 from the merger of Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems.
Ang’s NNIC won the right to operate the NAIA airport on February of 2024 with the understanding that it will transform the Philippine gateway into a world-class international facility over the next 15 years. The deal was worth $3 billion.
“This modernization is long overdue, and we are committed to transforming NAIA into a world-class gateway that meets the expectations of modern travelers,” Ang told the Philippine News Agency.
The NNIC boss revealed that Collins Aerospace will deploy a support team at NAIA in May. By August, core systems for passenger processing, baggage tracking, and resource management will be operational.
The final phase, set for completion in September, will introduce self-service check-in kiosks, pre-security e-gates, self-bag drop stations, and biometric boarding gates.
The upgrade, according to NNIC, is highlighted by the following modern airport features:
- Common use passenger processing system and common use self-service kiosks that will allow passengers to check in and drop off their luggage;
- Biometric screening will replace multiple document checks;
- Real-time flight information through an upgraded flight information display system;
- A new baggage reconciliation system that will provide real-time tracking to minimize lost luggage incidents;
- Advanced flight tracking and predictive analytics are underway to improve arrival time estimates and runway planning; and,
- An automated airline billing system that will streamline transactions for landing, takeoff, and other airport fees.
Last November, a study by Australian firm Compare the Market placed NAIA as the world’s worst airport.
The study showed that on a scale of one to 10, NAIA could only score 6.6 for efficiency, 6.6 for accessibility, 6.1 for service and 6.8 for cleanliness. NAIA’s overall score in the Compare the Market study was a dismal 0.24 out of the possible 10 that an airport could score.
For years, NAIA has been troubled with issues on flight delays, internet speed, safety and sanitation, among others.
Compare the Market ranked the NAIA as the 50th busiest airport in the world using such metrics as passenger footprint, flights per day and number of destinations.
The Hong Kong International Airport stood on top of the global rankings with a score of 9.44, besting Singapore’s Changi Airport, known as one of the finest in the world.
Haneda Airport in Japan, Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Hamad International Airport in Qatar also landed on top of the leaderboards for the best gateways across the globe.
A study done 10 months before by a United Kingdom website businessfinancing.co.uk found NAIA as “fourth worst airport in Asia” after it scored 2.78 out of a possible 10. It was better than the Kuwait International Airport, Kazakhstan’s Almaty International Airport and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.
The UK website saw Vietnam’s Noi Bai International Airport as the region’s best airport ahead of Singapore’s Changi Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.
