Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 8) — The recent overcrowding in the immigration area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 was due to the recent transfer of airlines and flight delays caused by bad weather, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Thursday.
The bureau assured that there is enough manpower at the NAIA 3 as it increased the number of BI officers deployed at the terminal.
Airline officials on Sunday said there were long queues at the immigration area of the hub as it manages 143 departure and 144 arrival flights daily.
“But although our manpower at the airport is more than enough, these long queues of passengers could not be avoided due to many factors, foremost of which is the recent transfer of several airlines from NAIA 1 to NAIA 3 that resulted from the impending shutdown of international flight operations at NAIA 2,” Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
China Southern Airlines, Jetstar, Starlux, and Scoot were transferred to Terminal 3 in April while Gulf Air, Jeju Air, Thai Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines were moved to the terminal on June 1.
Tansingco said the transfer caused a 10% increase in the daily average number of travelers departing from Terminal 3.
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He cited other factors causing the “congestion problem” at the gateway, including “limited space, flight delays and diversions caused by bad weather and frequent declaration of [lightning] alerts that result [in] simultaneous disembarkation of passengers from affected flights.”
“We are constantly coordinating our efforts with the Manila International Airport Authority in seeking the best solution to address this perennial problem of overcrowding in our immigration areas at the NAIA,” Tansingco said. “Among these are the installation of additional BI counters and expanding the space of our departure area.”
Tansingco also said the BI approved the request of airport terminal heads in Clark, Mactan, and Davao to reassign immigration officers to their areas.
The commissioner said 99 immigration officers will be reassigned to Terminals 1 and 3 on June 16 when NAIA 2 is set to stop servicing international flights.
