MANILA, Philippines – Cebu Pacific announced on Friday, October 11, that its regional Cebgo flights will move from the small NAIA Terminal 4 (T4) to the bigger NAIA Terminal 2 (T2) starting November 7 or in less than a month.
In social media posts, the Philippines’ largest budget carrier announced that the terminal reassignment would affect Cebgo’s domestic flights to Coron, Palawan; Naga, Camarines Sur; Masbate City, Masbate; San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; Siargao, Surigao del Norte; Surigao City; as well as Cebgo flights to Boracay, Aklan; Cebu; and Legazpi in Bicol region.
“This is part of CEB’s [Cebu Air Inc., corporate name of Cebu Pacific Air] ongoing collaboration with the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) to improve the efficiency of operations at NAIA. CEB fully supports the long-term vision of the NNIC and we will continue to work with our partners, so plans are executed smoothly,” the Gokongwei-owned airline said. NNIC is the new operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Philippines’ main gateway.
The announcement has confused many who are not familiar with the airline codes of Cebu Pacific.
“What’s DG?” asked several netizens, many of whom wanted to know if all Cebu Pacific flights operating from Manila would be moving to NAIA Terminal 2.
Netizen Jolo Acopadio Jose advised Cebu Pacific on the airline’s Facebook page that “most people would not understand the announcement” and might think that all Cebu Pacific domestic operations would be moving to NAIA Terminal 2.
DG is the airline code for all Cebgo flights, while 5J is the airline code for Cebu Pacific’s other (domestic and international) flights. If these 5J flights are operating from Manila, they’re using NAIA Terminal 3 (T3). Cebu Pacific also operates from Mactan, Cebu in Central Visayas, and in Clark, Pampanga in Central Luzon.
Thus, the easiest way to see if a Cebu Pacific flight is going to be affected by the terminal reassignment on November 7 is to check the airline ticket — whether the flight’s code is DG or 5J.
Cebgo Incorporated (Cebgo) is a subsidiary of Cebu Pacific and is a regional brand offering domestic flights. As of end 2023, it had 14 passenger aircraft that are ATR (European aircraft manufacturer) turboprop.
Cebgo used to be Tigerair Philippines, which the Gokongweis fully acquired in 2014.
The confusion has prompted Cebu Pacific to clarify that its domestic and international flights coded 5J will still be using NAIA Terminal 3.
“Flights with 5J will continue to operate from NAIA Terminal 3 for the time being,” Cebu Pacific told netizens on its Facebook who wanted clarification.
Cebgo’s transfer to NAIA Terminal 2 should be a positive development for Cebu Pacific travelers since Terminal 4 is the Philippines oldest terminal and has no bridges. It handles only domestic turboprop flights. The San Miguel-led NNIC plans to eventually close Terminal 4.
The Japan-funded NAIA Terminal 2, on the other hand, was opened in 1999 and was for a long time exclusively used by flag carrier Philippine Airlines. It is much bigger than Terminal 4, serves many airlines, and has bridges.
The confusion follows a premature announcement last month by the new NAIA operator of terminal changes that many thought would take effect immediately after NNIC’s takeover from the Manila International Airport Authority last September 14.
The NNIC would later clarify that the terminal reassignments would not yet take effect, following an appeal from airlines that the transfers should be gradual.
“NNIC assures the public that no immediate changes to terminal assignments will take place following the turnover of operations at NAIA. Future adjustments will be implemented gradually to ensure a smooth travel experience,” the consortium said in a post on September 20. – Rappler.com
