NEW NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), announced it will conduct a comprehensive audit of all security bollards and redesign departure passenger drop-off areas following a fatal vehicle crash on Sunday.
The audit will cover all bollards across the entire NAIA complex. The redesign will focus on the departure passenger drop-off areas at Terminals 1 and 2 as part of immediate safety improvements. NNIC stated it is changing the current diagonal drop-off layout at Terminals 1 and 2 to a safer parallel unloading configuration. This, along with planned bollard reinforcements, aims to enhance protection for passengers, well-wishers, and airport staff.
The announcement follows a Sunday morning incident where a sports utility vehicle (SUV) crashed through a security bollard and into the NAIA Terminal 1 departure area, killing a four-year-old child of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and a 29-year-old man who was about to depart for a business trip. Several others were injured.
A Land Transportation Office (LTO) report indicated the driver panicked, claiming a sedan had cut him off. However, CCTV footage showed no such vehicle. The driver is in police custody, and his driver’s license has been suspended.
NNIC president Ramon Ang pledged to cover the medical expenses of the injured and provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased. NNIC, a consortium of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics Inc., RLW Aviation Development Inc., and Incheon International Airport Corp., assumed NAIA operations on September 14, 2024.
