CAAP braces for surge of travelers on Holy Week

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has launched its Oplan Semana Santa 2018 this week in anticipation of passenger surge as Filipinos fly home to their provinces for the upcoming Holy Week.

In an advisory on Sunday, the CAAP Media Affairs said it is expecting an eight percent increase in passenger influx for this year’s Holy Week on March 25, Palm Sunday; to April 1, Easter Sunday. Only March 29 to 30 are declared regular holidays, while March 31 is a special non-working day.

In April last year, CAAP said Philippine airports welcomed a total of 6,093,786 domestic and international passengers, 3,841,283 of which were arriving and departing through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

“Added security measures will be in place to ensure safe, reliable, and convenient operations at all 40 commercial airports in the country in the next two weeks,” it said.

The aviation agency also said coordination has been made with airlines on efficient processing of their passengers especially at the check-in counters.

Additional airline personnel will also be deployed as needed, while a “no leave and day-off” policy will be imposed among airport service and security personnel during the entire duration of Oplan Semana Santa.

The CAAP has also coordinated with the Office for Transport Security (OTS) for baggage screenings and with the PNP-Aviation Security Group (AVSEGROUP) for perimeter security and surveillance.

Meanwhile, help desks manned by duty officers will also be set up to accommodate passenger concerns.

Travelers were also reminded not to bring prohibited items to the airport and to pack all belongings in one’s carry-on baggage for faster processing. /je