THE Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is expected to close the year on a high note with a consistent rise in passenger volume and flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) expected around 1.5 million arrivals this last month.
In November, the MIAA reported a passenger count of 3,813,781, consisting of 2,019,882 domestic and 1,793,899 international travelers.
This figure represented a 23 percent surge compared to the same period last year and reflected 97 percent of the passengers volume in November 2019, the last full year unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NAIA also saw a strong increase in airline flights, exceeding the records of both 2022 and 2019.
MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co expressed confidence that the NAIA was well-positioned to meet its year-end projections of 45 million passengers and 275,000 flights, approximating 94 percent of 2019’s full-year passenger volume and 1 percent above 2019’s full-year total flight movement.
“Our confidence is fueled by the impressive 11-month totals, in which we have already accommodated 41,213,734 passengers and 254,174 flights at NAIA, and the anticipated passenger surge during the festive season in December,” said Co.
NAIA’s upward trajectory is further bolstered by an improvement in the on-time performance (OTP) of commercial flights.
The average OTP of commercial flights at NAIA was 81 percent in November, followed by 82 percent in October and 80 percent in September.
The quick recovery was made possible through proactive and collaborative measures implemented by aviation stakeholders. The top three local carriers recorded an average OTP of 84 percent in November.
“The exceptional OTP of our major local airlines, accounting for 81 percent of all flights at NAIA, is truly commendable. This impressive performance not only demonstrates their dedication to operational excellence but also significantly enhances the overall efficiency of our airport system,” Co said.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said travel trends show a major increase in travelers in 2023.
By the second quarter of 2023, Tansingco said the BI started recording around one million arrivals per month, a far cry from the less than 100,000 arrivals per month during the height of the pandemic.
The BI chief said for November 2023, the BI recorded a total of 1,160,699 arrivals, almost half of which are foreign nationals.
“This, reflects that the aggressive tourism campaigns of the government is working,” he added
Prior to the pandemic, the BI recorded 1.7 million arrivals during December. The total number of arriving passengers for the entire year was already 79 percent higher than in 2022.
Meanwhile, Tansingco said Filipino outbound tourism has also bounced back. In November, the agency saw almost 1.1M departures, a figure already very close to the 1.3 million recorded in November 2019.
The BI chief shared that they have beefed up their manpower and have deployed augmentation teams and mobile counters to ensure smooth operations during the holiday season.