200px-naia3Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA Terminal 3 finally opened its door for commercial flights this morning. The lucky Cebu Pacific flight bound for Caticlan is the first flight to use the controversial NAIA 3 at 5:10 am this morning.

Why controversial? The third terminal of the airport, the larger Terminal 3, is the newest terminal in the NAIA complex. Constructed starting 1997, the terminal is 98% complete as of 2006. It is one of the most controversial projects the Philippine government has gotten involved in, and in some cases is likened to a white elephant. Legal battles and red tape, especially international arbitration cases in both the United States and Singapore as a result of mismanagement of the project by the Estrada government, as well as technical and safety concerns, have delayed the opening several times. It is slated to officially open on June 30, 2008. - taken from wikipedia

The journey to the new airport will take 30 minutes per passenger to reach boarding area. There are guides to avoid passengers to get lost. I heard, a couple won a round trip ticket to Caticlan on NAIA 3 first operating day. Wow! They experienced first the NAIA 3 and they won round trip tickets to Caticlan. They are lucky indeed on their Boracay vacation.

Looking forward to see and experience NAIA Terminal 3 soon.