Alfredo Tolentino

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) sank to the bottom of global airways rankings, earning itself the title of worst airport in the world months after the beginning of its multi-billion rehabilitation and renovation program.

Photo Courtesy of Rappler/Philippine Information Agency.

A study by Australian price monitor firm Compare the Market revealed that NAIA did not even reach a whole number mark only scoring 0.24 out of 10, leading to the rock bottom standing.

The quarter-of-a-whole score can be attributed to NAIA's poor performance in various aspects, with the airport only garnering 6.6 for efficiency, 6.6 for accessibility, 6.1 for service, and 6.8 for cleanliness on a scale of one to 10.

The results proved the prevalent issues surrounding the airport including flight delays, runway and passenger congestion, slow internet speed, and poor sanitation and service, among many others.

In another study conducted by a British website in February 2024, NAIA also ranked as the fourth worst airport in Asia after the airway only averaging 2.78 on a scale of 1 to 10 from passenger reviews across business travelers.

In contrast, Clark International Airport, a provincial airport, surpassed NAIA’s reputation as it was hailed one of the world's most beautiful airports by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2023.

In September 2024, the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC) took over and began the rehabilitation of the airport promising “significant improvements” towards the end of the year.

The P170.6-billion rehabilitation project is expected to boost passenger capacity, scale up flight movement, and solve the problems of poor and malfunctioning equipment such as walkalators, air conditioners, toilets, and bridges faced by NAIA.

However, months after the rehabilitation started, a series of airport issues arose, including baggage delays and water outages, along with controversies about increased airport fees.

On October 18, week-long complaints of baggage delays and reports of missing checked-in bags upon arrival at their destinations from passengers of NAIA Terminal 3 surfaced after a malfunctioning baggage handling system transpired.

Shortly after solving the baggage issues, reports of water disruptions followed in NAIA Terminal 1 when facilities such as restrooms and facilities operated without water as a result of damage to the main water pipe of the airport.

Several consumer advocacy groups like CitizenWatch slammed NNIC with these issues stating that they only worsen the reputation of NAIA even after the advent of the rehabilitation
process.

“[I]mmediately failing customers…after the takeover of the NAIA by NNIC is clearly not the best way to win the confidence and support of passengers and the traveling public,” CitizenWatch’s Kit Belmonte stated in a statement.

NNIC general manager Lito Alvarez, on the other hand, reiterated that the rehabilitation will take a while but promised that improvements can be felt by passengers by the Christmas season.

"This project will take time and commitment, but we will do it right, no shortcuts. [I]mprovememts will begin immediately in tangible changes that passengers will feel by Christmas. That’s the commitment of our chairman,” Alvarez said in the handover of documents ceremonies of the project.