Much Ado About NAIA

Ok... Ninoy Aquino International Airport is number one in the world's worst airport list according to a travel blog.

Now, before we Filipinos let that idea hit a sore nerve amongst us, we should take it on a positive note and not be overly sensitive about it. After all, there's nowhere to go but UP from there (pardon the pun). An international  airport is the country's gateway to all the different destinations in our beautiful country and now that the news is all over the world through the internet you would think our tourism industry is all but just a memory. These guys who lambasted the airport just took "poll votes and user reviews for reasons such as safety concerns, lack of comfortable seating, rude staff, hostile security, poor facilities, few services to pass the time, bribery and being kicked out or other hassles of being in the airport."*  The website is called Sleeping in Airports - c'mon, what decent tourist does that?

So before we even consider tearing down the airport and replacing it with a new one consider these facts:

• The Philippines is the first Asian country to have its own airport. Add to this the fact that we had the first international airline in Asia when Philippine Airlines was established.
• The first airport (the original one) was the Nielsen Tower now known as the Filipinas Heritage Library (many thanks to the Ayala Corporation for preserving the building).
• The original runways of the Philippines are now the streets that border the Ayala Triangle; now the financial hub of the Philippines: Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas
• The first airport was built in 1937. Then it was moved to the site that is now occupied by Terminal 2 and named Manila International Airport. This was in 1948 after WWII and after the Philippines was granted independence by the U.S.
• In 1954 The MIA was built and its runways constructed by 1961. Then it was burned in 1972. So this site was designated to service domestic flights until a new airport was built.
• In 1983 Benigno Aquino was assassinated at the tarmac and in 1987, by virtue of Republic Act 6639 the international airport was named in his honor and NAIA was born.
• Construction was undertaken almost immediately and by 1989 a spanking, state of the art airport was inaugurated.

So technically, NAIA is more than 30 years old. It was the benchmark after all other airports in the region were patterned after.

• In 2009, the airport saw a growth in airport arrivals by 11.4% or a total of 24.1 million
• By 2010,  it had increased to 27.1 million arrivals
• NAIA is on the list of the top 50 busiest airports worldwide in terms of passenger traffic

With Boracay as the top draw for honeymoon destinations, and other scenic spots (which the Philippines is abundant in) it's only natural for arrivals to start trooping in specially during the holiday season. The Philippines also holds the distinction of having the longest Christmas season in the world. WE DO have to adapt to bigger and bigger passenger traffic. However, since there are 86 airports in total scattered all over the 13 regions of our archipelago and only 40 of them in operations, something's gotta give. For now, all our government can offer is a fixer-upper as  major construction work would mean loss of, or at least a reduction of aircrafts serviced in the terminal and  reduced tourist arrivals... Something we don't need just when Philippine tourism is booming. It would be better to go slow and get it right than start building and discover the kinks later (remember terminal 3?).

So before we even condemn NAIA as the worst airport, these guys who take polls should really come to Manila and experience it for themselves... You readers can help by spreading this article around... we may have an airport that sucks but what we have is a GREAT country...

*quote taken from Sleeping in Airports