October 12, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is relocating island flights to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, evacuating all of its operations in Terminal 4 to make way for the transfer of AirAsia Philippines.
In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said its Cebgo flights to and from NAIA would be reassigned to Terminal 2, from Terminal 4, as a leadup to an airport-wide airline reshuffling.
Cebu Pacific said Cebgo flights to Busuanga, Caticlan, Cebu, Legazpi, Masbate, Naga, San Jose, Siargao and Surigao will take off and land from Terminal 2 starting Nov. 7, 2024.
This means that from Nov. 7 onward, Terminal 2 will be packed with domestic flights from Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebgo, AirAsia Philippines and AirSWIFT Transport Inc. However, this arrangement will last for barely a quarter.
The STAR learned from aviation sources that AirAsia Philippines would move to Terminal 4 on March 1, 2025. Sources said the transfer was supposed to be immediate, but the airline was able to secure it until March 1 to ensure minimal disruption for passengers.
Likewise, the transfer to Terminal 4 of AirAsia Philippines was moved to next year to make way for the renovation of the facility as was raised by the airline itself.
Prior to Cebgo’s transfer, Cebu Pacific resettled AirSWIFT flights to Terminal 2, from Terminal 4, following its P1.75-billion acquisition from the Ayala Group.
Cebu Pacific pledged to comply with efficiency measures being pursued by airport operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) in an effort to bring convenience to travelers.
“This is part of Cebu Pacific’s ongoing collaboration with the NNIC to improve the efficiency of operations at NAIA. Cebu Pacific fully supports the long-term vision of NNIC and will continue to work with our partners, so plans are executed smoothly,” Cebu Pacific said.
Earlier, NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez dangled the possibility of another terminal reassignment in NAIA to enhance airport efficiency and runway movements. Under the proposed relocation, Terminal 1 will harbor PAL’s network, while Terminal 2 will be for the local flights of Cebu Pacific, given that it has the widest domestic coverage.
Terminal 3 will house international flights, except for PAL’s, and Terminal 4 will welcome back the domestic services of AirAsia Philippines.
Before this impending reassignment, NAIA went through a similar reshuffling in 2023 that saw Terminal 2 revert to its original design as a domestic hub.
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