NAIA uses four terminals spread throughout the airport and there is no direct transfer between them via the transit zone.
Terminals 1 and 2 are the closest to each other and can be crossed by a very narrow walkway along the main road (approximately 1 km).
Book your hotel near MNL Airport before your morning departure
Which terminal?
Which terminal of Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport will your flight depart from? For a clear breakdown of all airlines and specific flights, visit: miaa.gov.ph/terminals.
Terminal 1
The second oldest terminal is located at the south end of the airport and is nicknamed "Ninoy Aquino Terminal" because it was here that Senator Ninoy Aquino was assassinated.
Due to the large number of airlines operating from Terminal 1, the building is often crowded and suffers from a shortage of seats.
- Air China
- Air Niugini
- Asiana Airlines
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Eva Air
- Hong Kong Airlines
- Japan Airlines JAL
- Korean Air
- Kuwait Airways
- Malaysia Airlines
- Oman Air
- Philippine Airlines (international flights only)
- Royal Air Philippines (international flights only)
- Royal Brunei Airlines
- Saudia
- Xiamen Airlines
- Zipair
The distances at Terminal 1 are quite long and you can walk more than 15 minutes from the entrance to the departure gate.
Terminal 2
The building dates back to the mid-1980s but has undergone significant renovations. The medium-sized terminal is located in the southern part of the airport about 1 km from Terminal 1.
Terminal 2 is clear and the distances to the aircraft are shorter than in Terminals 1 or 3.
- Philippine Airlines (domestic flights only)
- PAL Express (domestic flights only)
- AirAsia Philippines (domestic flights only)
Terminal 3
Opened in 2023, this state-of-the-art terminal meets all international standards and is very clear for passengers.
Expect a roughly 15-minute walk to the furthest departure gates.
- AirAsia (international flights only)
- All Nippon Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Cebu Pacific
- China Southern Airlines
- Emirates
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Greater Bay Airlines
- Gulf Air
- Hong Kong Express Airways
- Jeju Air
- Jetstar Asia Airways
- Jetstar Japan
- KLM
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Scoot
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Starlux Airlines
- Thai Airways
- Tiger Air
- Turkish Airlines
- United
Terminal 4
The smallest and oldest terminal is just a simple building with no boarding bridges. All planes are accessed by walking on the tarmac.
This is one of the reasons why Terminal 4 mainly serves airlines flying small turboprop aircraft.
- Air Juan
- AirSWIFT
- Cebgo
- SkyJet Airlines
Airport map
For your convenience, we have created a diagram of the terminal layout at Manila NAIA.
How far in advance to arrive at the airport?
Due to frequent traffic congestion, we recommend that you have a head start and arrive at the airport at least 3.5 hours before your flight.
You will go through a basic baggage check before entering the terminal and you must always present your ticket as well.
Queues for traditional security checks can take up to 45 minutes and queues for baggage check-in can be as long as 60 minutes.
Transfer between flights
Changing flights in Manila is very easy as long as you don't have to change terminals.
On the other hand, transferring between terminals is very lengthy and chaotic, even after extensive upgrades throughout the airport.
International <-> International
If Manila is just a transfer point between two different countries and you're not planning to visit the city, you don't need to leave the transit zone provided you have both flights purchased under one booking.
If you have planned the transfer on your own, you must always leave the transit zone.
I am not changing terminal
There is a minimum transfer time of 60 minutes at each terminal. Realistically, such a transfer takes 40-60 minutes.
- Look for the "Transfer Desk" (before passport control) where your boarding pass and passport will be checked.
- Personal security check
- Baggage security check
- After that you will be in the departure gate area
Changing terminal
Terminal changes are not as common after the airport reorganisation in 2023, but you may still find yourself changing terminals even if you have both flights on the same ticket.
For example, transfers from Philippine Airlines (T1) flights to partner airlines departing from T3 are common.
If you are transferring between terminals, you must always go through immigration and out of the transit area. Between 2019 and 2023, transfer buses also used to run on the tarmac as part of the "airside", but after the airlines moved between terminals, these buses were cancelled in 2023.
The minimum transfer time between Terminals 1 and 3 is 180 minutes. In practice, however, we recommend a minimum of 4 hours to transfer. Shuttle buses run on ordinary streets and often stay in queues. The journey from one terminal to the other can take up to 1 hour.
- Pass through passport and customs control
- Locate the "Transfer Shuttle Bus" counter to register and be directed to the bus stop outside the terminal
- Get on the "Shuttle Bus" which runs between all terminals (24/7 operating hours, frequency 60 minutes) - see below for details
- Disembark in front of your terminal and check in
- Passport control
- Security check
- After that you will be in the departure gate area
Whether you have to collect and re-check your bag depends on your specific ticket and airline. You will be told everything when you check in at the departure airport.
International <-> Domestic
You will always have to go through immigration control when you transfer in Manila.
I am not changing terminal
There is a minimum transfer time of 90 minutes at each terminal. Realistically, such a transfer takes 60-90 minutes.
You don't have to change terminals, for example, when connecting with Cebu Pacific, which is the only airline that handles some of its domestic flights from Terminal 3 as well as international flights.
- Go through passport and customs control
- Pick up your baggage (in some cases, baggage can be checked through to your final destination, but this is rare)
- Go up one level to the departure hall and check in
- Passport control
- Security check
- After that you will be in the departure gate area
The procedure is similar for the reverse transfer from a domestic to an international flight, but in these cases, on the other hand, your checked baggage is almost always sent to your final destination and you do not have to pick it up in Manila.
Changing terminal
With the exception of Cebu Pacific, all other airlines will have you moving between terminals.
The most common transfer is between terminals 1 and 2 or between terminals 3 and 4.
- Go through passport and customs control
- Locate the "Transfer Shuttle Bus" counter where you will check in and be directed to a bus stop outside the terminal (if transferring with PAL - Philippine Airlines, you do not need to check in and board the black buses marked "Premium Airport Bus" directly
- Get on the "Shuttle Bus" which runs between all terminals (operating hours 24/7, frequency 60 minutes), PAL Philippine Airlines buses run once every 10-20 minutes
- Disembark in front of your terminal and check in
- Passport control
- Security check
- After that you will be in the departure gate area
The procedure is similar for the reverse transfer from a domestic to an international flight, but in these cases, on the other hand, your checked baggage is almost always sent to your final destination and you don't have to pick it up in Manila.
Domestic <-> Domestic
Connecting between two domestic flights is very easy and there is no security or passport control.
Once you get off the plane, head to the "Transfer Desk" where your boarding pass will be checked straight through to the departure gate area.
Shuttle buses between terminals
There are two different types of shuttle buses that operate within the airport area.
The airport shuttle bus
Official airport buses run between all terminals on the T1-T2-T4-T3 route and vice versa.
Before boarding the bus, you must check in at the counter in the arrivals hall marked "Transfer Bus" or "Terminal Transfers". Here you will be checked for your boarding pass and issued with a ticket to show before boarding the bus.
- Price - free
- Frequency - 1x per hour
- Operating hours - 24/7
| Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | -- | 5 minutes | 30-50 minutes | 15-20 minutes |
| Terminal 2 | 5 minutes | -- | 25-45 minutes | 10-15 minutes |
| Terminal 3 | 30-50 minutes | 25-45 minutes | -- | 15-20 minutes |
| Terminal 4 | 15-20 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 15-20 minutes | -- |
From 2023, buses do not run on the tarmac, but through the outside area.
Average journey times during daytime hours, when buses often queue. Travel times at night are up to 2x shorter.
PAL Philippine Airlines buses
Black buses with "Premium Airport Bus" signs are dedicated exclusively to transfer passengers between Philippine Airlines flights.
You must present your connecting boarding pass before boarding.
Buses run only between Terminals 1 and 2.
- Price - free
- Frequency - 2-3 times per hour
- Operating Hours - 24/7
