The new operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) plans to change the set-up for departing international passengers where they will now have to pass through the final security check first before being allowed to process their immigration documents at the departure area, according to an airport security official.

The New NAIA International Corp. (NNIC) is looking to implement the new policy at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Office for Transportation Security (OTS).

According to OTS Spokesperson Kim Marquez, they are the ones who proposed the adjustment to the NNIC to address the complaints they receive from passengers.

Marquez said there were instances where passengers were not allowed to go out by immigration officers since they have already finished processing their immigration documents even if they were offloaded in the final security check due to possession of a prohibited item.

A preliminary meeting between the concerned agencies were already held but the OTS said the date for the implementation of the new policy is not yet determined since it may result to problems in the queuing of passengers due to the holiday rush, and other issues such as electrical problems need to be fixed first.

Under the current setup at NAIA, passengers have to process their immigration documents first before undergoing through a final security check, contrary to the international procedure in other countries where passengers are subjected to x-ray and human x-ray security checks before the immigration check.