THE Manila International Airport Authority has recorded a significant increase in the volume of passengers in domestic flights at the three terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport days before and during the observance of All Saints’ Day.
Jesus Martinez, head of the MIAA media affairs division, said Wednesday the volume of passengers in domestic flights from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1 increased by 20 percent.
He added 453,990 departing and arriving passengers were recorded, a 17,854 increase from last year’s 436,136.
A week before “Undas,” there was heavy influx of arriving and departing passengers at the Naia Terminals 2, 3 and 4.
The passengers’ growth served as the foundation for the steady increase of passengers in domestic flights.
Terminal 2 posted 38,643 passenger arrivals and 41,902 departing passengers from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, a total 80,545 compared to 75,285 last year.
Terminal 3 had 139,139 arrivals and 153,138 departures compared to last year’s 143,766 and 155,550 arrivals and departures, respectively.
Terminal 4, on the other hand, recorded 38,262 arrivals and 42,906 departures compared to last year’s 30,559 arrivals and 30,976 departures.
In 2015, the airport authority also recorded more than 36 million passengers transited through the Naia, surpassing its previous high.
Records showed that 36,681,601 passengers used the four terminals of the Naia—a rough increase of two million passengers from 2014 when passengers totaled 34,094,159.
The 34-million mark was reached early in December 2015.
There were also more domestic passengers—at 19,513,514— compared to international travelers, totaling 17,168,087 in 2015.
Airport officials said developments in the previous year served as the foundation for the steady increase of passengers.
Among others, flight operations were enhanced with the reactivation of Runway 31 for departures which allowed flight movements to take place concurrently on both runways.
The extension of Taxiway N (November) further decongested the taxiway—particularly at the intersection of the runways—and facilitated a more flexible handling of international operations.
The rehabilitation project of Terminal 1 also widened passenger movement areas with the redesigning of the terminal interiors.
Some projects include the upgrading of the air conditioning systems at Terminals 2 and 3 as well as the introduction of Transportation Network Companies to the airport.