BOARDING Passengers line up at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 to check in for their respective flights out of the country. —FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Sunday reported a 158 percent increase in the number of passengers in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
According to MIAA in a statement on Sunday, a total of 10,855,332 passengers were recorded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) from January to March, 2023, which is a 158 percent increase from 2022’s 4,200,575 passengers in the same period.
MIAA also noted that this number is only 6 percent lower than the pre-coronavirus total in 2019 which was at 11,587,919.
Apart from total passengers, MIAA also marked an improvement in flight movements, totaling 67,781, 77 percent higher than the flight movement in 2022 (which was at 38,269) and even 4 percent more than the 65,161 flights recorded in the first quarter 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,” MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong said.
Furthermore, MIAA said that it saw a strong domestic market in the Philippines in the first three months of 2023, recording 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,” he added.
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