I still fondly recall the very first time that I saw the Ninoy Aquino Internationa Airport which is frequently referred to as NAIA around 10 years ago, I was in awe as I looked at this huge structure that bears the name of a famous Philippine president. I was with my parents then, we were accompanied by a few relatives who wanted to see a distant aunt as she was about to leave for abroad. It was the first thing that caught my attention after such a long drive that early morning. I was amazed by the sheer number of people there and wondered where they were heading as they disappeared through the brown doors of the building.
Since then, the sight of that airport terminal has been at the back of my mind even if I developed others interests as I grew up. Any updates regarding the building continued to capture my interest whenever it would be featured on television or in the newspapers. I have not seen it again since then but I learned that there have been other terminals built as the need to accommodate more passengers each year was becoming evident. The airport terminal is now called NAIA1 to make it distinct from the additional airport terminals that followed (Terminals 2 and 3).
Other facts about NAIA1 that I learned through the years are that the development of the airport terminal was spearheaded by then president Ferdinand E. Marcos way back in the 1970s. The terminal began operations after its completion in 1981, it is 67,000 square meters in size with a design capacity of 4.5 million passengers. Currently, it serves all non-Philippine Airlines international flights except for Cebu Pacific international flights which are accommodated in the NAIA3.
The NAIA1 has recently been featured again in the media, this time it was facing criticisms from some travelers and bloggers for getting a bad reputation in the transportation industry. Comments and feedback from the public have been published in the internet regarding how the services have deteriorated, facilities are neglected and management has failed to address these issues. A website called the “Guide to Sleeping in Airports” ranked the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 1 as the 5th worst airport in the world. I was concerned about these things and I made a conscious effort to know more about the public’s concerns by searching the web for any new updates regarding the situation.
Recently, I had the chance to revisit NAIA1 when I accompanied my family who went there to fetch a close cousin of my father, uncle JB dela Cruz. He just arrived last October 2011 from the United States of America after his 6-month stay for his OJT. I admit that I was dismayed when I saw the condition of the airport terminal, the worn-out façade of the building showed the obvious neglect that it’s 30-year existence has dealt it. I just hope that the management would consider immediate renovations and much-needed upgrade in the facilities as top priorities to bring it back to its former glory.
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