Ninoy Aquino International Airport (IATA: MNL, ICAO: RPLL), commonly known as NAIA, is the primary international airport serving Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the busiest airport in the country. The airport is located along the border between Pasay City and Parañaque City, approximately 7 kilometres south of Manila and southwest of the Makati central business district.
NAIA originated as a United States Air Force base and was transferred to the Philippine government in 1948, beginning its history as a civil aviation facility with a single domestic runway and a small terminal building. It was renamed in 1987 in honour of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., whose assassination at the airport in 1983 became a pivotal moment in Philippine history.
NAIA serves as the primary hub for Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines, and is a major gateway between the Philippines and destinations across Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Australia. The airport features four passenger terminals with a combined designed annual capacity of 33.2 million passengers, supported by two intersecting runways.
In 2025, NAIA recorded its highest-ever passenger volume with 52.02 million travellers, nearly four percent higher than the previous record of 50.1 million in 2024. December 2025 was the busiest month in the airport’s history, handling 4.86 million passengers, including 2.367 million international travellers and 2.495 million domestic passengers.
In September 2024, the airport entered a new era with its privatisation under New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), a consortium led by San Miguel Corporation with Incheon International Airport Corp. The 15-year concession aims to expand passenger capacity to 62 million per year, increase flight movements from 40–42 to 48 per hour, and bring operations and maintenance up to global benchmarks.