MIAA: more than 10m passengers flock to airport in first 3 months

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has recorded a total of 10,855,332 passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the first three months of 2023, more than 158% from the 4,200,575 passengers recorded on the same period last year.
The number, according to MIAA, is only 6% lower than the pre-COVID total of 11,587,919 travelers during the same period in 2019.
In addition, flight movements during the first quarter of 2023 totaled 67,781, a 77% increase over the first quarter flight movement of 38,269 in 2022. This is also 4% more than the 65,161 flights in the first three months of 2019.
“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,” said MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong.
Choing said they noticed a strong domestic market in the Philippines in the first three months of 2023.
He added 6,164,985 passengers traveled 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 March 2023’s 23,399 flights and January 2023’s 3,766,546 passengers.
Chiong had attributed the significant increase to people’s renewed confidence to travel.
MIAA hopes to sustain this momentum as more nations open their borders, more restrictions are lifted, and more people rediscover their renewed love of travel.
Chiong explained that after being isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic, people are eager to see the world again and cross items off their bucket lists that they had put off for more than two years.
MIAA is stepping up its improvement efforts in anticipation of the projected rise in flight and passenger volumes, which will have an immediate impact on customer service while also producing long-term, tangible outcomes in the near future.