Ninoy Aquino International Airport (IATA: MNL / ICAO: RPLL) – commonly referred to as NAIA – is the busiest aviation hub in the Philippines and the principal gateway to its bustling capital, Manila.

This page contains links to detailed guides covering MNL’s two international terminals (T1/T3) and offering advice on transportation to/from the airport.

NOTE: This Airport Guide and the separate posts linked to it should be used only for general guidance. Details may change at any moment and without prior notice.

CONTENTS

• Overview
• Location
• Airport Layout
• Terminal Guides
• Access and Transportation
• Alternative Airports

OVERVIEW

Airport name : Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Also known as : “NAIA”
IATA code : MNL
ICAO code : RPLL
Country : Philippines
Major city served : Greater Manila
Routes served : International and domestic
Runways : Two
Terminals : Four
Passenger traffic : 47,898,046 (2019 – last full pre-pandemic year)
Official links : Website / Facebook / Twitter
Other links (unofficial) : Wikipedia / Flightradar24 / Sleeping in Airports

LOCATION

To learn more about transportation to and from the airport, please skip ahead to the Access / Transportation section of this guide.

AIRPORT LAYOUT

MNL’s four terminals are all located north of its main runway. Terminal 1 (T1) is used exclusively for international flights. Terminal 3 (T3) is used for both international and domestic routes. Terminal 2 (T2) served both international and domestic flights for much of its existence, but became purely domestic in June 2023. Terminal 4 (T4) currently serves only domestic routes, although it did handle a limited number of LCC international flights between May 2013 and August 2015 (source).

Due to poor planning and inadequate infrastructure, none of the terminals is directly connected to any of the others. In effect, MNL’s four terminals function like completely separate airports, with purely airside inter-terminal connections all but impossible (except in limited cases for Philippine Airlines) and minimum connection times often stretching into hours (e.g., here and here).

As always, it’s best to check directly with your airline to confirm which terminal will be used for your flight – and it’s equally important to arrive at the correct terminal well in advance of departure time. (The current advice from Philippine Airlines is three hours for international flights; I personally aim for at least four.) Because MNL’s terminals are so poorly connected, travelling to the wrong one increases your risk of a missed flight given the time needed to arrange a journey to the right building.

TERMINAL GUIDES

Click on the images below to learn more about MNL’s two international terminals. Each box is linked to a separate Airport Guide with detailed information on building facilities, check-in procedures, and other matters of interest to passengers.

The all-international Terminal 1 (T1) opened for service in 1982. A major rehabilitation project in the mid-2010s gave it refreshed interiors and improved structural integrity. Even so, T1’s small size and outdated architecture leaves little room for passenger facilities.

Terminal 3 (T3) is MNL’s newest and largest terminal. Built from the ground up as a purely international facility, the building was haphazardly divided into international and domestic halves when it opened in 2008. Substantial parts of T3 remain incomplete or unused to this day – and even some of the facilities currently in use haven’t been properly finished – although its much larger footprint allows the terminal to offer a wider range of passenger amenities than T1.

ACCESS AND TRANSPORTATION

Click on the boxes below to learn more about the options for travelling to or from MNL.

By and large, the most convenient means of travelling to or from MNL’s terminals is by road-based transport. This guide lays out many of the available options, from buses and taxis to hired vehicles and private cars.

MNL isn’t directly served by trains. However, as described in the guide linked here, indirect train access is possible – though neither convenient nor simple – through several railway stations north of the airport complex. (Note: This option is NOT recommended for most travellers, given the distance of even the nearest stations from MNL and the strict limitations on luggage imposed by the railway operators.)

Walking to T1 or T2 isn’t generally advisable, unless it’s from somewhere in the immediate vicinity (such as nearby accommodations). However, T3 has a major piece of infrastructure designed to allow direct pedestrian access from the neighbouring hotel and leisure district. Learn more about this option by clicking below.

ALTERNATIVE AIRPORTS

For the Philippines as a whole

Located in Cebu Province, Mactan–Cebu International Airport (IATA: CEB / ICAO: RPVM) is the second-busiest airport in the Philippines. With the sole exception of MNL, no other aviation hub in the country sees more activity than CEB in terms of passenger throughput and number of international routes served. It also provides connections to many domestic airports, including those serving key tourist magnets like Boracay and Palawan. This makes CEB a viable alternative for visitors seeking to bypass Manila en route to the popular resort islands of the central and southern Philippines. With the recent inauguration of Terminal 2 (international), and with ongoing renovations breathing new life into Terminal 1 (domestic), CEB also offers a more pleasant and better-integrated airport experience than the congested, poorly connected terminals of MNL.

For the Greater Manila area

About 80 kilometres north of Manila, Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK / ICAO: RPLC) in Pampanga Province serves a small range of domestic and overseas destinations. Travellers heading to/from the northernmost reaches of Greater Manila might consider using CRK in place of MNL, as this would allow them to avoid the city centre’s traffic-choked streets. That said, the absence of a direct rail link to CRK and its distance from Manila – not to mention its limited destination network – reduce the airport’s attractiveness as an alternative gateway to the capital, especially for people based in or bound for the central and southern portions of the metropolitan area.