-
86 million travelers passed through Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the first quarter of 2023, a 158% increase over the 4.20 million passengers that NAIA processed in the same quarter last year
-
The gateway recorded a 77% surge in flight movements to 67,781 from 38,269 in the first quarter of 2022. The figures were 4% more than the 65,161 flights in the first three months of 2019
-
Domestic travel surpassed pre-pandemic levels with 6.17 million passengers traveling on board 42,331 flights in the first quarter of 2023
Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) first-quarter passenger traffic soared 158% to 10.86 million passengers from 4.2 million in the same quarter last year, according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
The latest passenger traffic is 6% less than the pre-COVID total of 11.59 million travelers in the first quarter of 2019, MIAA said in a statement.
Flight movements in the first quarter of 2023 likewise rose 77% to 67,781 from 38,269 in the first quarter of 2022 and also 4% more than the 65,161 flight movements in the first three months of 2019.
“With the reopening of borders in [places] such as Hong Kong and China, as well as the easing of travel restrictions, many travelers have regained confidence to fly in and out of the Philippines for both leisure and business purposes,” MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong said.
MIAA also saw a strong domestic market in the Philippines in the first quarter of 2023, with 6.17 million passengers traveling on 42,331 flights, surpassing the domestic flight and passenger movement set in the first quarter of 2019, when 5,451,655 passengers traveled on 36,206 flights.
“Because domestic borders opened earlier than international borders, airlines are deploying a lot of flights right now to serve our local destinations. Our domestic sector is thriving, and we are seeing the results of the government’s efforts to revive tourism,” Chiong explained.
“As the aviation industry recovers from the effects of the pandemic, passenger numbers are likely to rise further in the coming months and years,” the airport chief added.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest monthly flight and passenger totals have been the 23,399 flights in March 2023 and 3,766,546 passengers in January 2023.
MIAA earlier said this month that it will start the second phase of its terminal reassignment program at NAIA, which will further expand the capacity of Terminal 2.
READ: Second phase of NAIA airline terminal assignment starts in April
Under MIAA’s Schedule & Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program, international flights will be reassigned to Terminals 1 and 3, while Terminal 2 will eventually be an all-domestic facility.
With this move, MIAA expects Terminal 2’s capacity will increase from 7.5 million to 10 million passengers a year, 20% to 25% more than its current rate, as infrastructure such as immigration counters will be transferred to Terminals 1 and 3.
