MANILA: Philippines is rushing to put in place the final touches to its new Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Manila.

But the much delayed opening, in two weeks time, will only be for domestic passengers.

Straight from her working visit in the United States, President Gloria Arroyo inspected the airport terminal for its readiness to open its doors to the public.

The scheduled opening comes six years after the terminal was deemed more than 90 per cent complete.

The project was then stalled because of legal cases filed against the government, which questioned the process of the bidding. There were also safety concerns regarding the structure of the terminal after a portion of the ceiling collapsed two years ago.

Airport officials admit there are still a lot of adjustments to be made in the new terminal, but assured the public that they will be ready for the scheduled opening.

Last week's dry run was marred by technical glitches including the malfunctioning of the terminal's aerobridges, conveyor and air-conditioning systems.

Leandro Mendoza, Secretary, Department of Transportation and Communication, said: "These glitches are expected in a new terminal. Such high technology infrastructure involves complicated systems that have to work. If we open the terminal, we assure the public that they will be comfortable and safe."

The Philippines' two other international airport terminals are already processing about 23 million passengers a year. But both can only accommodate 18 million passengers. Airport officials hope to expand the old terminals before the year ends.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is designed to handle 13 million passengers. But in the meantime, it will only accommodate about 3.5 million domestic passengers until it is fully operational.

The new terminal hopes to open for international operations in six months. -CNA/vm