The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Tuesday said it is studying to remove the initial security screening of departing passengers to shorten lines.

In an interview with dzBB, MIAA General Manager Bryan Andersen Co said they are planning to remove the initial security screening to speed up the check-in process at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

“One of the things we are studying is removing the initial security screening…Because compared to other countries, only our airports make passengers go through intensive screening upon entry,” Co said.

“So it’s possible that it would be removed and it would lessen the queueing point of our passengers,” he added.

According to Co, removing the initial security process would save around 30 minutes for the passengers.

“When it comes to the check-in process, we will automate the different processes. So we really need to reduce as much as 30 minutes average processing time moving forward. So by next year, the passengers would experience the MIAA’s and the airlines’ implementation of improved processes.

Co said they are also planning to transfer terminal flights to decongest and address the imbalance of the capacity of terminals.

On December 1, Philippine Airline flights to and from the United States, Canada, Middle East, and Bali will be transferred from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1.

On December 16, AirAsia flights to and from Cebu and Caticlan Boracay will be moved from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3.

In a separate interview with dzBB, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said they are working closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to deploy more immigration officers to help resolve the congestion problem at NAIA and prevent flights from being delayed. Jaspearl Tan/DMS