Passengers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) more than doubled to 10.9 million in the first quarter of the year compared to last year, and closer to the 11.6-million pre-pandemic volume of the same quarter in 2019.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) also reported flight movements from NAIA during the quarter exceed those made in the same period in 2019.
The recorded passengers in the first three months of 2023 were 158 percent higher than the 4.2 million passengers that traveled through the country’s primary gateway in the same period last year.
Flight movements also increased by 77 percent to 67,781 in the first quarter from 38,269 last year.
MIAA said the flight movement in the first quarter is 4 percent more than the 65,161 flights in the first three months of 2019.
Also, the passenger volume is only 6 percent lower than the pre-coronavirus total of 11.6 million travelers during the same period in 2019, MIAA pointed out.
“With the reopening of borders in countries 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,” Cesar Chiong, MIAA general manager, said in a statement over the weekend.
Domestic traffic in the first quarter reached 6.2 million, surpassing the passenger movement in the same period in 2019 of 5.5 million passengers, the agency noted.
“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 said.
“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.
Also, MIAA anticipated passengers at NAIA to reach 1.2 million from April 1 to 10 — during the Holy Week until the Day of Valor.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is expecting air passenger traffic to return to the pre-pandemic level this year, despite global economic and political uncertainties.
With the opening of domestic destinations after the coronavirus restrictions were lifted, CAB had said the domestic passenger traffic jumped 307 percent to 22.5 million versus 5.5 million, while the number of international travelers soared 345 percent to 9.8 million from 2.2 million passengers in 2021.
