Demolished NAIA Terminal 4 gone for good, cargo terminal to be converted

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) oldest and smallest passenger terminal, demolished late last year for a major renovation, is gone for good as private operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NAIA) deemed the structure as a safety hazard.

“‘Yung ating Terminal 4 ay hindi na itutuloy dahil nakita natin na ‘yan ay isang malaking hazard, obstacle ‘yan,” NNIC General Manager Lito Alvarez said at a press conference Thursday.

(The NAIA Terminal 4 will no longer be continued since we deem it as big hazard, an obstacle.)

NAIA Terminal 4 was closed on November 6, 2024 for renovation. It was planned to be reopened in February this year.

Alvarez cited the tragic plane crash in South Korea last December, when a Jeju Air passenger aircraft returning from Thailand crash-landed and exploded after slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of Muan International Airport’s runway.

“‘Yung balita sa Jeju Air, maraming namatay ayaw nating mangyari sa ating bansa ‘yun kaya’t dinemolish na lang natin,” he said.

“At hindi na natin tatayuan ng additional structures.”

(Many died from the Jeju Aur incident. We don't want that to happen in our country, so we demolished it [Terminal 4]. And we will not build additional structures.]

The site of the demolished NAIA Terminal 4 was located at the end of NAIA’s runway 13/31.

“Instead, itatayo natin ang replacement ng Terminal 4 doon sa dating international cargo terminal,” the NNIC general manager said.

(Instead, we will build a replacement at the former international cargo terminal.)

“In the next three months, asahan niyo, sa pakikpagtulungan ng government agencies at saka ng mga cargo bonded warehouse operators, ay maililipat na natin sila sa temporary facility at maiko-convert na natin ‘yun na panibagong terminal. Inaasahan namin na doon namin mailalagay ang AirAsia domestic flights plus ibang flights ng Cebu Pacific,” Alvarez said.

(In the next three months, be assured that with the help of government agencies and cargo bonded warehouse operators, we will transfer it to a temporary facility and convert it into a new terminal. We expect to place in there AirAsia domestic flights and other flights of Cebu Pacific.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

He said that converting the cargo terminal into a new passenger terminal will take about six months.