The signs that the country’s premier airport complex needs a makeover are getting more obvious.
A female traveler was hurt and hospitalized after a portion of the ceiling inside Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) Terminal 2 fell on her Saturday morning.
It was the fourth time this year that portions of NAIA showed signs of wear and tear and posed a danger to waiting passengers.
In April, parts of the parapet wall in Terminal 1’s arrival area
broke off, while in July another portion of the terminal’s ceiling fell.
In September, a slab broke off the ceiling in Terminal 1, this time at the departure area.
On Saturday, airport police investigators said an aluminum tile sheet that was part of the ceiling being cleaned by a store crew member “accidentally broke of” and fell on a woman who was then at a Goldilocks concession shop within the preboarding area of Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 manager Cecilia Bobila identified the woman as Nieves Jacinto Favis, 60, a passenger of Philippine Airlines flight PR-318 bound for Hong Kong. The flight left without her around 10 a.m.
The accident happened around 8:45 a.m. while Favis was at the pastry shop.
NAIA medical officer Dr. Angelica Corpuz said Favis suffered a one-and-a-half-inch cut and bruise on her head. She was brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City in Taguig and was later reported to be in a stable condition.
Bobila said the management of the Goldilocks shop had given assurance that it would shoulder the medical expenses of the passenger as well as the cost of her rebooking.
While the incident did not affect flight schedules, the terminal manager warned concessionaires at NAIA 2 to be “extra careful” and avoid a repeat of the incident.