Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) long had a reputation for being one of the worst. After the new’ish international terminal 3 opened and the old international terminal 1 received some renovation work, it’s now Philippine Airline’s terminal 2 turn to get updated. While this is not the major expansion PAL announced previously, it’s a long overdue update that should improve the passenger experience.
Some of the most noticeable changes for passengers will be the (modest) expansion of the check in area and luggage claim area. The installation of additional bathrooms has already been completed and the installation of additional air conditioning systems and lighting should improve the experience in the terminal.
In addition, a lot of regular maintenance is planned, including painting, repairing, fixing and replacing ceilings, floors, glass doors and walls. Terminal 2 was certainly showing its age and these renovations should make the terminal a more pleasant place to arrive or depart.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t solve the overcrowding issues in the terminal or the connection issues PAL passengers experience when they arrive and depart in different terminals – no new gates will be added as part of this project.
PAL earlier proposed an expansion to terminal 2 with new gates as well as a walkway connection between terminal 1 & 2 that would address these issues.
There are also plans to add another runway, which would help to improve the terrible ontime record of Manila’s airport due to having more flights scheduled than the airport was designed to handle.
This renovation won’t win Manila’s airport any SkyTrax best airport awards, but it’s a step in the right direction and welcome improvement for anybody traveling to or through Manila!
If you’d like to get more travel related news or deals like this from around the world, please follow me on Twitter – I’m posting news daily, so you can stay up to date on the world of travel with my Twitter updates! Or, for a weekly update, sign up for my newsletter for a Sunday Summary!