Manila Ninoy Aquino Intl Airport (MNL) Flights & Flight Status

Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) is one of Asia’s more chaotic and confusing airports, though things have improved somewhat in recent years. It’s best to know going in that your experience can vary widely from relatively easy to time-consuming and stressful, and a lot depends on which terminal you’re using and whether you need to switch between terminals. That said, many thousands of people manage to get through this airport on a daily basis unscathed, so with a little information you’ll be well placed to do the same.

What to expect at MNL

The first thing to know about NAIA is that it has four terminals that are not well-connected to each other – and they are not all created equal. There is also a great deal of traffic in and around the airport. At times that includes the approach to the departures areas, so leave plenty of time. Additionally most transfers between terminals take you out of the airport grounds on to public roads that are, again, traffic-choked. It can be frustrating. Once inside your departure terminal though, it’s mostly a straightforward process.

Layout of the airport

NAIA has four terminals, ranging from tiny and very old to big and modern. There are shuttle buses available if you need to get between them. For the most part, walking from one to another is not really an option and there are no trains either.

Get to know the NAIA terminals

Terminal 1 is where you’ll find all Philippine Airlines international flights alongside several other mostly Asian and Middle Eastern carriers such as the major Chinese airlines, Asiana, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Saudia, Oman Air and a handful of others. It’s an older building but it’s reasonably straightforward to navigate. The roadway to departures here is particularly prone to getting clogged with traffic. I once had to abandon my cab and walk the last half of the way up the ramp.

Terminal 2 is where most domestic flights leave from and you won’t find any international flights here. Philippine Airlines domestic flights use it alongside Philippines Air Asia and Royal Air Philippines domestic.

Terminal 3 is the newest and most spacious terminal where the departure experience is mostly on a par with other modern Asian airports. If you’re departing on long-haul from Manila but not on Philippine Airlines there’s a good chance you’ll use this terminal. Here you’ll find most Cebu Pacific flights (domestic and international), Cathay Pacific, plus a number of the international carriers from further afield such as KLM, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Qantas.

Terminal 4 is the oldest terminal and was actually the original terminal building back in the early days of this airfield. It’s very small as a result, and only houses regional airlines doing domestic flights like AirSWIFT and Sunlight Air. The plan is to close this terminal once an expansion of Terminal 2 is completed.

Where you can fly from Manila

Manila is well-connected to much of the world, although direct flights to Europe are limited. Starting in December 2024, Air France will offer direct flights to Manila from Paris 3 times a week. The other 4 days a week are covered by Air France's partner company KLM, operating from Amsterdam Schiphol. Between these two airlines, direct flights from Europe to Manila can be found daily. For Manila routes beginning in the UK, however, flyers will have to make do with layovers, usually in Kuwait City (KWI), Abu Dhabi Intl (AUH), or Muscat Seeb (MCT), among others.

Elsewhere, Manila sees a huge amount of service on the Gulf carriers to the likes of Dubai, Doha and Muscat, as well as to Saudi Arabia. Asia is predictably well-served with many daily flights to the major Asian capitals. And of course as the Philippines is a country of islands, there is lots of service to domestic destinations and you can basically get from MNL to anywhere you need to go in-country.

Where is it convenient to go?

Metro Manila is a sprawling urban area of around 15 million people, and this airport is slap bang in the middle of it. In fact it’s exceptionally convenient to the parts of central Manila visitors will generally want to go to – Makati is barely a 15-minute drive away during quieter times, but even with traffic it’ll rarely be more than 25 minutes.

Getting to and from MNL

Most people will take a cab of some kind to and from NAIA, but be careful of taxi scams and exorbitant fares. The best bet is to get either a ‘coupon taxi’ where staff outside arrivals will hand you a coupon with a fixed price to get where you’re going, so no hassle over the fare; or one of the airport taxis (as opposed to the standard Manila city taxis) which are a bit more expensive but tend to be hassle-free.

Tip: if you prefer catching your cab via an app, download the Grab app and create a profile before you go if you don’t have one already. It is the ubiquitous way to hail a ride (and do much more) in the Philippines and I always use Grab to catch a cab from Manila Airport. Uber is not available in the Philippines.

Public transport

Public transport of various kinds is an option here, but it’s generally going to be a lot more complicated to try and use compared to a cab. For example, there are nearby LRT and MRT train stations, but they’ll require a bus to get to. For longer distance travel, there are buses as well – and these can be a good option. Terminal 3 is where most buses depart from. Keep in mind that the famous ‘jeepneys’, colourful and cheap buses that are found all over the Philippines, are not allowed inside the airport area.

Transferring between terminals

Getting between terminals is one of the worst parts of flying through NAIA, but sometimes it just has to be done. Just be aware it could take up to a couple of hours, so don’t schedule any tight connections at different terminals.

To move between terminals you have three options: the free shuttle bus that the airport provides, the ‘premium’ UBE Express bus that you’ll need to pay for, or a cab (again I’d recommend Grab). Many people simply opt for Grab because of the unpredictability of the buses. My general rule of thumb is, if I have plenty of time I’ll take the free bus, and if I have less time I’ll just use Grab. The premium bus doesn’t really offer enough of an advantage to justify paying for.

Tip: the one piece of good news here is that if you’re transferring between Philippine Airlines domestic and international flights (terminal 1 and 2), the airline has its own dedicated shuttle bus for you to catch and it’s generally a reliable service because they don’t want you missing your connection.

Upgrades on the way?

A consortium of Filipino companies along with the operator of Seoul’s highly regarded Incheon Airport recently won a contract to upgrade, maintain and operate NAIA going forward. Apparently this will come with numerous upgrades and refurbishments to make the airport more user-friendly and increase capacity. Hopefully it comes true.

New Manila International Airport

There is actually a brand new airport under construction a ways outside of the city, to the north – and it promises to bring a much-needed modernised airport experience to Manila. However it’s expected that NAIA will remain open and the new airport will be aimed at decreasing congestion, so we’ll see what happens. It’s due to be completed in 2028.

Wi-Fi

At Manila Airport you can get two hours of free Wi-Fi per day, but you’ll need a local phone number to do it. That means picking up a SIM card on arrival. If it were me and I didn’t have a good data roaming package on my home phone plan, I would instead get a hold of an eSIM with data in the Philippines and skip all the hassle for a small cost.

Alternatives to MNL

One interesting alternative to MNL is Clark International Airport, a compact and manageable airport about 70 miles north of the city, with a beautiful new terminal building. Departing from here is a fantastic experience. The only downside of course is the distance from central Manila – the drive takes about an hour and a half in good conditions, though it could be much longer. Nevertheless considering how easy it is to fly out of Clark, and that fares are often cheaper from there, it can be a good option.

What do to during a layover

Given NAIA’s proximity to Manila centre, if you have more than a few hours of layover it can be a nice option to nip over to Makati and get a feel for the city. Just account for possible traffic coming back!