Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Philippines’ primary gateway, has once again been ranked the world’s worst airport in a recent study by Australian market monitoring firm Compare the Market.
With an alarmingly low score of just 0.24 out of 10, NAIA placed last among 61 international airports, lagging behind in key categories such as efficiency, accessibility, service quality, and cleanliness.
The study reflects several persistent issues at NAIA, including frequent flight delays, slow internet speeds, and concerns over safety and sanitation.
In comparison, Southeast Asia’s top airports, such as Singapore’s Changi and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi, as well as those in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, all outperformed NAIA by a wide margin.
Globally, Hong Kong International Airport took the top spot with a score of 9.44, followed by Changi Airport (9.27), Japan’s Haneda Airport (9.00), Incheon International Airport in South Korea (8.79), and Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (8.08).
In contrast, NAIA struggled to score above average in any of the measured categories. It earned just 6.6 out of 10 for efficiency and access, 6.1 for services, 6.8 for cleanliness, and 6.5 for flight performance.
Despite this poor showing, NAIA remains a major hub, serving 45.3 million passengers in 2023. The airport handled 279,953 flights last year and connected to 94 destinations worldwide.
In light of the ongoing issues, there is hope for a turnaround with the recent transfer of operations to the San Miguel Corporation-led New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NAIC) in September. The consortium is set to implement significant upgrades aimed at improving infrastructure and services.
“Yung NAIA ayaw na ayaw kong tawagin ng mga foreigner yan na the worst airport in the world. Kaya I want to make sure na kung pwede, ako na sana magkaroon ng pagkakataon na mag-rehabilitate nitong NAIA,” San Miguel chairman Ramon Ang said in a media interview in September 2024.