In 1972, a fire caused substantial damage to the original terminal building, and a slightly smaller terminal was rebuilt in its place the following year. This second terminal would become the country's international terminal until 1981, when a new, higher-capacity terminal, known today as Terminal 1, was built to replace it. The old international terminal would serve as Manila's Domestic Airport until another fire damaged it in May 1985. The present Terminal 1, originally named Manila International Airport, was given its present name on August 17, 1987, by virtue of Republic Act No. 6639, with the intention of honoring Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated at the airport after returning to the Philippines from his self-imposed exile in the United States on August 21, 1983.
By Executive Order No. 732, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport NAIA Terminal 3 Task Force was made and Michael Defensor was appointed on June 19, 2008 as head, creating the Presidential Task Force on the NAIA-3 that was "mandated to ensure the immediate opening and operation of Terminal III." The order provides for the NAIA-3 opening based on decisions of the Supreme Court and applicable laws.
Officially, Ninoy Aquino International Airport NAIA is the only airport serving the Manila area. However, in practice, both NAIA and Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga serve the Manila area, with DMIA catering mostly to low-cost carriers that avail of the lower landing fees than those in NAIA. In the long term, DMIA is set to replace NAIA as the primary airport of the Philippines.