WORST IN THE WORLD? NAIA earns lowest rating in global rankings

National

THE Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has once again been named the worst airport in the world, according to a recent study by Australian firm Compare the Market.

The airport, which serves as the primary gateway to the Philippines, received a dismal score of just 0.24 out of 10, making it the lowest-ranked among the busiest airports globally.

The study, which assessed major airports based on factors like user ratings, efficiency, service quality, accessibility, and cleanliness, revealed NAIA’s poor performance in several key areas.

The airport scored an average of 3.8 out of 5 in user reviews on Google, and its individual ratings included a 6.6 for efficiency, a 6.6 for accessibility, and a 6.1 for service.

Cleanliness received a slightly better score of 6.8, but these marks still fall far behind international standards.

In comparison, other Southeast Asian airports, including Singapore’s Changi (ranked second) and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi (ranked 11th), fared significantly better.

Airports in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam also ranked higher, with Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Airport at 19th, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta at 39th, and Vietnam’s Tan Son Nhat at 53rd.

Globally, Hong Kong International Airport topped the rankings with a score of 9.44, followed by Changi, Haneda Airport, Incheon International Airport, and Hamad International Airport, all of which are renowned for their world-class facilities.

Despite being ranked the 50th busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic and flights per day, NAIA continues to struggle with chronic issues such as flight delays, poor internet speed, and sanitation problems.

However, hopes for improvement rest on the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp., led by San Miguel Corp., which has been tasked with the P170.6-billion rehabilitation of the airport.

The goal is to expand its capacity to 62 million passengers annually and increase flight movements to 48 per hour.(CMM)